Projecting Ghana’s ‘Future Heritage’ Through Arts: Accra Arts Week Holds Dec. 17-27
Ghana’s leading art exhibition event the ‘Accra Arts Week’ (AAW) will hold its third edition this December 17-27 at the Kempinski Hotel.
The exhibition which has gathered hundreds of art enthusiasts from across the country and the diaspora alike, since its launch in 2018, will this time around break down the event into seven thematic phases including Exhibitions & Installations, Talks & Workshops, Film screenings, Tours, Pop-up stores, Live Performances, and Photo Booth.
Ghana has always been a cultural tourism destination, so it is no surprise that many
people still choose to flock to Ghana to enjoy what our culture has to offer.
Most recently, Accra has quickly and organically evolved into an art hub gaining prominence both locally and globally.
With some 150,000 diasporans coming back home this December, it gives Ghana the perfect opportunity to display our undiluted culture, hence the Accra Arts Week.
The theme for this year’s edition is ‘Future Heritage’: Alkebulan Rising.
This builds on the last edition’s theme which was ‘’Door of Return’’. Future Heritage now explores the question of what the future of African heritage will look like.
Key questions that this year’s event seeks to answer include: How is our traditional identity going to evolve? What impact will contemporary culture have on our future heritage as it stands today? As it continues to evolve through pop culture, media, and cultural arts education.
Others are: What do we want our future heritage to look like? Which aspects of
it are we ready to let go? And which aspects must be integral? As culture is a fluid human institution, who do we invite to the table to help us create this future heritage? In essence, how does today’s society want to be remembered in the future?
With Ghana becoming an increasingly Pan-African melting pot, taking in influences from across the global black diaspora.
Event Lineup:
AAW Featured Exhibitions include: Digital Art Exhibition, Affordable Art sale, Emerging artists spotlight, and Photography Exhibition
There will also be installations from V for Vanity, Aerospace cube, Aurora 360
Virtual Reality, and NuAfropolitan.
Topics for the talks are Black To the Future – Digital Art & NFT, Through the looking glass – Photography, Diaspora Brain Gain, Investing in Art, and the Afrochella Art Talk
The topics for workshops that bring industry experts to provide training and support for emerging artists include: Understanding the basics of copyright, The Art of publicity, and Breaking the mould.
GALLERY TOUR + STUDIO VISITS
The AAW guided tour takes visitors through Accra’s gallery scene to learn firsthand which artists, gallerists, and collectors are paving the way.
ACCRA ART WALK
Jamestown and Osu are arguably Accra’s most prominent ”Art Districts”. They say the walls have ears, join our walking tour to hear what they have to say.
OSRAMBA ART VILLAGE, ADA
Visit the prolific artist Kwame Akoto Bamfo in the studio and see behind the scenes of the world-renowned Ancestor Project.
About Accra Arts Week
Launched in 2018, the Accra Art Week is an annual weekly celebration of art and design
taking place in the city of Accra, Ghana. During AAW, visitors are guided through the city’s most creative spaces via a series of exhibitions, pop-ups, and performances; showcasing the work of established and emerging artists of Ghanaian and African art + design.
This combines with a dynamic programme of talks, workshops, 6ilm screenings, tours, and an award show celebrating the highlights of the creative industry from the previous year.
The primary mission of AAW is to galvanize the creative sector locally and to reinforce
Accra’s position as a leading art destination in Africa. In the process of doing so, it is our hope that the following objectives are reached.
