Info For Yous The Cracking Ga Figurative Palanquin Together With Coffin Artists From Ghana: (1) Ataa Oko

The origins of African fine art prevarication long earlier recorded history. African stone fine art inward the Sahara inward Niger preserves 6000-year-old carvings. Along amongst sub-Saharan Africa, the western cultural arts, ancient Egyptian paintings too artifacts, too indigenous southern crafts also contributed greatly to African art. Often depicting the abundance of surrounding nature, the fine art was oftentimes abstract interpretations of animals, establish life, or natural designs too shapes. The Nubian Kingdom of Kush inward modern Sudan was inward unopen too oftentimes hostile contact amongst Egypt, too produced monumental sculpture generally derivative of styles that did non Pb to the north. In West Africa, the earliest known sculptures are from the Nok civilisation which thrived betwixt 500 BC too 500 AD inward modern Nigeria, amongst clay figures typically amongst elongated bodies too angular shapes.
More complex methods of producing fine art were developed inward sub-Saharan Africa around the tenth century, some of the most notable advancements include the bronzework of Igbo Ukwu too the terracottas too metalworks of Ile Ife Bronze too brass castings, oftentimes ornamented amongst ivory too precious stones, became highly prestigious inward much of West Africa, sometimes beingness express to the run of courtroom artisans too identified amongst royalty, every bit amongst the Republic of Benin Bronzes.
Africa is also abode to a thriving contemporary art, fine fine art culture. This has been sadly understudied until recently, due to scholars' too fine art collectors' emphasis on traditional art. In Ghana, Ga contemporary artists select carved a niche for themselves inward the expanse of figurative palanquin designs too Fantasy coffin artistry.
The pioneer inward this expanse is Ataa Oko.
Ataa Oko (c. 1919, La, Republic of Ghana - Dec 9, 2012, Accra) was a builder of figurative palanquins too fantasy coffin too over 80 years quondam he fifty-fifty became a painter of Art Brut.
Ataa Oko, Indigenous contemporary creative individual too Pioneer inward edifice of figurative palanquins too fantasy coffins inward Ghana

 He was for almost all his life a fisherman until at  the historic catamenia of eighty-three he all of a abrupt took upwards drawing.  Since that appointment he has created over 2500 pictures.  At foremost his drawings were of the fantasy coffins he created for his clients when he made his living every bit a carpenter.  Later on he allow his imagination Pb him to pull the worlds of fantastic animals too of the spirits.  The artwork of Oko along amongst that of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré from Dakar are currently beingness featured inward an exhibit at the Collection de l’Art Brut inward Lausanne, Switzerland.

Ataa Oko paradigm a chicken coffin for Regula Tschum

Ataa Oko was born around 1919 inward the coastal town of La, Ghana. He never went to school, only started run every bit fisherman at the historic catamenia of xiii inward his Coastal Ga community of La.  As it is the first of some Gas to engage inward settler farming activities when angling flavour does non perform well, Ataa`s household unit of measurement sent him to the cocoa plantations inward the Ashanti Region.

After working for several years inward the farm, Ataa returned to Accra too trained every bit a carpenter  from 1936 to 1939. After his apprenticeship, Ataa also worked inward numerous temporary employments betwixt 1939 too 1970. According to Regula Tschumi, Ghana-based Swiss social anthropologist too fine art historian. Ataa started edifice figurative coffins around 1945 when few people were involved inward that art. He opened his ain workshop inward the metropolis of La.

In his quondam historic catamenia Ataa relinquished his coffin making career too began to pull afterwards he met Regula Tschumi. Tschumi who is instrumental inward bringing this hitherto unknown indigenous creative individual to the footing attending studied Ataa`s funereal sculptures too asked him to stand upwards for (paint) all the coffins that he had produced. Over time, however, he started to stand upwards for a lot of colorfull subjects : fantasy animals, imaginary creatures too spirits. Through his hard-work too especial raw artistic talent Ataa succeeded inward a novel expanse where many had failed.

Figurative palanquin, drawing of Ataa Oko 2009

 Ataa Oko had been inspired yesteryear the figurative palanquins he had seen inward Accra. These palanquins were used yesteryear the Ga chiefs already at the starting fourth dimension of the 20th century. The palanquins were built inward the cast of the respective household unit of measurement symbols which the Ga chiefs were using. Around 1960 Ataa Oko opened his ain coffin too palanquin workshop inward La. The terminal years of his life, Ataa Oko was retired too hardly built coffins whatever more. But since 2005 he became a painter inward collaboration amongst Regula Tschumi. Ataa Okos coffins too drawings were foremost exhibited inward the grouping exhibit "Six Feet Under" at the Kunstmuseum Berne 2006 too 2010/11 he had foremost ane human being exhibit inward the good known Collection de l'Art brut inward Lausanne. Ataa Oko died inward Dec 2012.

Ataa Oko (right) too Kudjo Affutu amongst Oko's cherry cock (Rooster) coffin. Circa 2009. Courtesy Regula Tschum

Single too Group Exhibitions
2014. MUT Museum of the University Tübingen: "Diesseits-Jenseits-Abseits".
2012. MEN Musée ethnographique Neuchâtel Hors-Champs.
2011/12. Miracles of Africa, Hämeenlinna Art Museum, Hämeenlinna too Oulu Museum of Art, Oma, Finland
2011. Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich. Ghanaian 'fantasy coffin', 27th Sep 2011 - fourth Dec 2011. Griff Rhys Jones.
2010/11. Collection de l'art brut, Lausanne. One human being exhibit Ataa Oko et les Esprits.
2006 too 2007/2008. Kunstmuseum Bern too Deutsches Hygienemuseum, Dresden. Exhibition Six Feet Under: Autopsie unseres Umgangs mit Toten.

Ataa Oko coffin inward the shape of a battleship, 1960 - Regula Tschumi, "The buried treasures of the Ga. Coffin Art inward Ghana", p137, Benteli, 2008


Rooster Coffin


Ataa Oko





The origins of African fine art prevarication long earlier recorded history Info For You THE GREAT GA FIGURATIVE PALANQUIN AND COFFIN ARTISTS FROM GHANA: (1) ATAA OKO
Ataa Oko amongst his boy Kofi on the beach of La inward Dec 2002

The origins of African fine art prevarication long earlier recorded history Info For You THE GREAT GA FIGURATIVE PALANQUIN AND COFFIN ARTISTS FROM GHANA: (1) ATAA OKO
Ataa Oko drawing inward forepart of his line of piece of work solid inward La 2005

Source:http://www.regulatschumi.ch/en/artists/ataa-oko

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