AMOAKO BOAFO – COUNTERING FLAWED NARRATIVES

I Do Not Come to You by Chance is an exhibition of new work by Amoako Boafo at Gagosian Gallery, London. Titled after Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani’s 2009 novel, it marks the artist’s first solo presentation in the United Kingdom.

Boafo’s portraits celebrate the Black figure in a spirit of authenticity and joy, countering the flawed narrative of stereotypes through images that elevate their subjects. Focused on Black identity, his paintings prompt a reexamination of the Western understanding of contemporary Africa and the African diaspora, exploring intimacy, community, and self-determination.

The artist paints the faces and bodies of his subjects with his fingertips, the directness of his touch enhancing their expressive qualities and allowing them to return the viewer’s gaze with charismatic presence. His self-portraits confront the observer with expressions of vulnerability and creativity that challenge traditional narratives of masculinity.

I make paintings that allow me to celebrate where I come from and what I aspire to be, while sharing unique perspectives and understanding.
—Amoako Boafo

Many of the works on view reflect themes of relaxation and play. Among them is one of Boafo’s largest self-portraits to date, Self-Portrait with Cacti (2024). Measuring over four meters (thirteen feet) in length, it depicts the artist in a moment of tranquility, lounging in bed and surrounded by an assortment of lush plants. Another painting, Black Cycle (2025), shows him riding a bike, the fabric of his clothing echoing the exhibition’s wallpapered entrance. The motifs in these paintings continue his exploration of repeated textures and materials.

Boafo was born in 1984 in Accra, Ghana, where he currently lives and works. After teaching himself to draw and paint as a child, he pursued various professions in his early career, most notably semiprofessional tennis. He graduated from Ghanatta College of Art and Design in Accra in 2008, winning the college’s award for best portrait painter that year. In 2013, Boafo relocated to Vienna, and with artist and curator Sunanda Mesquita founded WE DEY, a center for exhibitions, workshops, and community programs that advocated for artists of color and LGBTQ+ voices.

Encountering the marginalization of Black people in Austria, Boafo decided to focus on portraits of Black subjects, who remain underrepresented in global contemporary art. Inspired by the expressionistic portraiture of Vienna Secession artists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, he counts among his contemporary influences Jordan Casteel, Maria Lassnig, Kerry James Marshall, and Kehinde Wiley.

AMOAKO BOAFO
GAGOSIAN GALLERY
GROSVENOR HILL, LONDON
Through 24 May 2025

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