Paintings from an Artist Residency in Ghana
Museum of Science and Technology, Accra | 25 April – 25 May 2025
Curated by Zahra Faye
Ghanaian artist Josh Akpor presents When Hunger Was Laughed At, a new exhibition of 25 paintings and 4 sculptures created during his artist residency with Arms Around the Child in Accra. The show opens on 25 April 2025 at the Museum of Science and Technology.
When Hunger Was Laughed At draws inspiration from the Homowo Festival, celebrated by the Ga people of Ghana as a remembrance of famine and a celebration of survival. Akpor, known for his bold figurative compositions and layered use of mixed media, turns his lens towards community, ancestry, and the visual language of resilience. Through garments, posture, colour, and setting, his portraits capture a people who continue to show up for tradition, with pride, strength, and memory in their gaze.
Working primarily on treated denim canvases with the addition of clay and paint, Akpor builds depth not just in surface but in meaning. Clay, used here as both material and metaphor, speaks to earth, origin, and the shaping of stories that are meant to last. The paintings echo the power of public ritual, but do not romanticise it. Instead, Akpor presents scenes that feel lived-in: a boy perched beneath the robes of elders, a woman surrounded by music and kin, a quiet intensity in the eyes of a man dressed in full regalia. There is celebration here, but it is not performative.
“This exhibition honours the courage it takes not only to survive hardship but to turn it into something sacred. These works are rooted in a festival that hoots at hunger and refuses to be silenced by the past,” says curator Zahra Faye.
The artist residency, hosted by Arms Around the Child, was designed to support emerging artists while fostering social engagement and community connection. During his time at the residency, Akpor ran workshops for children and young people supported by the charity, many of whom inspired elements of the final works. Proceeds from artwork sales will go towards the charity’s ongoing work across Ghana and beyond.
Arms Around the Child’s Global Director, Ellie Milner, says: ““Josh Akpor’s work is a powerful tribute to the resilience of community and culture. At Arms Around The Child, we believe in creating platforms where creativity meets purpose—and Josh’s residency has done just that. His paintings speak of survival, of memory, and of joy reclaimed. It has been an honour to witness his deep engagement with the children we support, and to see their spirit reflected in his extraordinary work. This exhibition doesn’t just mark the end of a residency—it marks the beginning of something enduring.”
As Accra continues to establish itself as a vibrant hub in Africa’s contemporary art scene, this exhibition is a reminder of the stories that still need to be told. About where we are now, but also where we’ve come from. We are grateful for the support and sponsorship from SONO Frank Runge chairman of SONO Global said
“We believe in supporting creativity that speaks to community, culture, and resilience. Partnering with Arms Around The Child and Josh Akpor for this exhibition reflects our commitment to Ghana and to the power of art to inspire and uplift. We’re proud to stand behind a project that gives so much back.”
The AATC Art Residency
Recent events have seen Ghana’s influence on the art world continue to advance with this year’s U.K. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale showcasing a British/Ghanaian artist John Akromfrah. The AATC residency programme is dedicated to furthering the promotion and support of Ghana’s art scene by creating a bridge whereby local and international artists can meet to share ideas and gain influence. In addition to supplying access to schooling, art and materials in rural areas of the country.
The AATC Art Residency launched as a tribute to the late Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu who passed away in the devastating earthquake in Turkey/Syria Feb 2023. Christian was the charity’s main ambassador. With Christian’s support and additional fundraising AATC built school which hosts a bespoke artist studio for the purposes of its residency programme. AATC has been holding fundraising auctions for a decade, previously in New York with Sotheby’s auctioning one-of-a-kind teddy bears styled and signed by celebrities and opinion leaders from around the world; to the most recent event in November 2022 where art was auctioned in Christie’s London main sales room for emerging and established artists. Arms Around The Child is an international charity founded in 2010, dedicated to supporting children living in extreme adversity, particularly those affected by HIV/AIDS in Ghana and South Africa. Evolving from the work of Keep a Child Alive, co-founded by Alicia Keys, the charity initially stepped in to care for children left to survive alone after losing parents and loved ones to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. AATC focuses on building a kinder, safer world for orphaned, abandoned, and vulnerable children, including those in child-headed households or at risk of abuse, trafficking, and exploitation. The organization is guided by a passionate board and committee of music industry professionals, art world figures, and cultural advocates, including singer and broadcaster Neneh Cherry and acclaimed artist Moyosore Martins.
Artist Statement – Josh Adjetey Akpor
Josh Adjetey Akpor is a contemporary artist from the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. A graduate of the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Akpor is a member of the artist collective blaxTarlines KUMASI. He currently lives and works in Teshie, where his practice explores themes of the human body, memory, identity, and the relationships we build, with others, with nature, and with ourselves.
His work often involves models and self portraiture, using painting as a method of self- exploration and reflection. He is interested in how materials can carry meaning, and his mixed media approach blends red clay, oil paint, acrylic gloss, and burnt wood to create layered, textured surfaces. Akpor also paints on unconventional supports, particularly denim, which adds depth and tactility to his compositions and reflects his interest in the everyday.
His visual language is shaped by questions of memory and encounter. His paintings are moments of tension, care, and introspection. By combining traditional and experimental materials, Akpor creates work that feels both grounded and questioning, drawing viewers into the quiet intensity of his figures and the stories they hold.
More information on Josh Akpor’s artist residency with Arms Around the Child can be found here.
For press enquiries contact Zahra Faye: zahrafaye53@gmail.com
Or WhatsApp +233 53 2508143
For more information or to arrange an exhibition tour, contact Ellie Milner: ellie@armsaroundthechild.org
Or WhatsApp +44(0)7801292553
For all sales enquiries please contact: artresidency@armsaroundthechild.org or ellie@armsaroundthechild.org