By Hafsa Obeng, GNA
Accra, July 8, GNA – Sharon Dede Padi, the Ghanaian visual artist and cultural advocate popularly known as Padiki, has died at the age of 50.
Padiki was the first official holder of the Guinness World Records title for the world’s largest leaf-print painting and was widely recognised for promoting Ghanaian art through her distinctive use of leaves as an artistic medium.
Family sources and close associates confirmed that Padiki died on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Born on June 24, 1976, she spent her childhood at New Tafo Akyem in the Eastern Region, where the natural environment inspired her lifelong fascination with leaves and the artistic style for which she became internationally known.
She attended the Cocoa Research Institute’s Ghana Primary School at Tafo before continuing her education at Krobo Girls Senior High School and later Aburi Girls’ Senior High School.
Padiki obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and later earned a Master’s degree in Construction and Project Management from London South Bank University.
At the time of her death, she was pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Museum and Heritage Studies at the University of Ghana.
Alongside her artistic career, she worked as a construction and project management professional with the State Housing Company Limited, Akuaba Estates and Waltech Company Limited.
She also served on the Curatorial Board of the Pan African Heritage World Museum, joined the Board of Ghana Digital Centres Limited in 2022, and worked as Assistant Development Officer and Head of Hostels at Accra Technical University.
In December 2022, she established the Padiki Art Gallery in Accra, where she exhibited her signature leaf-print artworks.
Her works were also displayed in galleries and museums across Ghana.
Padiki attained international recognition in 2025 after setting the Guinness World Record for the largest leaf-print painting, producing an artwork measuring 54.33 square metres and becoming the first official holder of the title.
Her contributions to the creative arts earned her several honours, including Africa’s Most Respected CEO in Art, presented in Mauritius, and Most Outstanding Female in Art in Ghana.
Days before her death, she was named Art Ambassador for the 200th anniversary celebration of the Odwira Festival during the Awukudae celebrations at the palace of the Akuapemhene.
Funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Hafsa Obeng
[email protected]