By Simon Asare
Accra, Jan. 13, GNA – Daouda Traore, a contemporary artist from Mali, has won the 2022 Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Art.
With 178 artists competing for the prize, Traore, who prides his artwork on giving life to neglected materials including worn sheets, sacks of millet, and wire, won the ultimate $5000 cash prize.
Odinakachi Okoroafor, a Nigerian mixed-media artist who emerged the first runner-up, walked away with $3000, while Dela Anyah, a self-taught textile artist from Ghana, was the second runner-up, having won $2000.
Speaking at the awards ceremony at the Mix Design Hub in Accra, Professor Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia, the founder of the Contemporary Arts Prize, congratulated the artists who participated in the competition.
“I couldn’t have anticipated the massive explosion of interest globally in Ghanaian and African art. Our alumni of artists have been successful and influential, and I couldn’t have anticipated the heart-warming stories about the impact our work is making,” he said.
Prof. Elikem further stated that it was quite disheartening how visual art had become the stepchild of the Ghanaian creative economy despite its massive economic potential.
“It is truly a tragedy that a sector that will undoubtedly contribute significantly to the economy if nurtured properly has been effectively decimated. Art is big business and people make fortunes all the art value chain,”he stated.
Mr. Abdourahamane Diallo, UNESCO Country Representative in Ghana, lauded the initiative from Prof. Elikem to celebrate artists from West Africa.
According to Mr. Diallo, more of these contemporary art prizes were needed to encourage our artists and grow the art industry, which had many opportunities for Ghana and Africa at large.
“The arts industry is gradually developing, and we have more Africans who are appreciating and recognising the value of our local creative sector.
“This falls within the mandate of UNESCO to promote the arts and support the art industry on the continent, and I am glad to announce that we will support this initiative,” he said.
The occasion was graced by astute personalities in the arts industry, including Nana Kobina Nketsia V, the Paramount Chief for Essikado, who also pledged his support for the Kuenyehia Contemporary Art Prize.
GNA