Nestled within the entrance to Front/Back and as a joint venture with Lokko, The Container is a social enterprise that works with emerging and established artists across all media. Everything you find is exclusive to us and most are specially commissioned, from editioned items to unique pieces.
The Container guarantees quality control and authenticity. We also nurture our artists, providing them with any advice they may need and working alongside them with production. Purchasing from us is not only a fun investment in art but a direct way of supporting the creative industry on our continent. Thank you.
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DatArtGod, also known as Ohemeng Oware Ir, is a dynamic and talented visual artist hailing from Accra, Ghana.
With a journey that began as a self-taught graphic designer, he has evolved into a multi-disciplinary artist, exploring diverse mediums such a s 3D, Animation a n d Motion Design.
His distinctive creative voice is a fusion of technical prowess, a keen eye for aesthetics, and a deep understanding of various artistic forms.From the earliest stages of Oware's life, his affinity for and engagement with art were evident. Memories of his childhood are filled with images of him shaping intricate sculptures from clay dough and constructing imaginative worlds using LEGO bricks.
As he grew, his artistic journey continued to flourish, with his drawing skills developing and his creativity finding outlets inactivities like sketching and painting. His artistic explorations took a new turn in 2015 when he embarked on the journey of graphic design during his high school years.These foundational experiences not only honed his artistic skills but also kindled a passion that would guide him on his path to becoming the accomplished and versatile visual artist known as DatArtGod.
Embracing his role as a full-time freelancer, DatArtGod has harnessed eight years of creative experience t o serve a diverse range of clients.His portfolio boasts an impressive list of collaborations with distinguished entities including;
Burberry, New Balance, 3Music Networks, Manju Journal, EMY Africa Awards, Mr Eazi, Detty Rave, Timaya, Kojo Antwi, Joeboy, FreeTheYouth, Bola Ray, Bey T, Star Assurance, Empire Sports Agency, PalmWine IceCream, Jermaine Bleu, Camidoh, and more. This clientele underscores his versatility and adaptability across various industries.
Alexxa Walker is an Afro-Asian artist and an award-winning photographer currently based in Montreal, Canada. She was introduced to the camera while studying Communication Studies at Concordia University. With a focus on representation, media and intersectional feminism, her work questions her role and identity as a woman of color living in a predominantly white society as well as the lack of representation and misrepresentation of black women. Her self-portraits aim to create a visual dialogue between her lived experience, identity and the environments that she navigates through, as well as to reclaim her narrative as a woman from the diaspora.Her more recent work focuses on reclaiming her narrative as well as celebrating her culture, body and sexuality as a woman from the diaspora through photography, self-portraiture and poetry.
Discover more of her work @realalexxawalker | rawcollexions.com
Born on 20th November, 1993 in Jamestown - Accra to Ghanaian parents, Kwame Acheampong is a passionate photographer and artist who captures his images and communicates his artistry through the lens of his iphone camera.He holds a bachelor of science degree in Agriculture from the University of Ghana, the nation’s premier tertiary institution.With a keen interest in broadening his knowledge, Kwame’s main hobby is reading and researching on Art and Philosophy.Kwame’s work is a representation of his evolving sense of depiction of ideas and artistic influences, and readily explores experimentation as an approach to aesthetics.Currently living in Accra, Kwame hopes to become a globally recognised visual artist by pursuing photography and plans to pursue fine art disciplines specifically painting and sculpture.
Born in Koforidua in the Eastern Region of Ghana, Sarfo Emmanuel is a visual artist using colour to share the stories and dreams of young people in his world.After graduating from high school in 2019, where he studied visual arts, Sarfo received his first ever phone from his sister and started taking and editing pictures of family and friends for fun until he realised he could use his phone as an art creation tool.His work has been featured in Afrodyssée, Perfect Magazine and Manju Journal and he was recently included in a list of the 'hottest creatives of 2022' in i-D Magazine.
A magazine that has previously highlighted one of his inspirations, Prince Gyasi."My big inspiration comes from several photographers and artist but one artist in particular who I look up to is Prince Gyasi. I admire his work and in many ways respond to it through my own."He hopes his work can tell a beautiful African story and provide therapy for his audience. In his own words: “I use colour as a language for so many things, emotions included and so there are these really vibrant colours in my works, I love it and I consider it as colour therapy for myself and hopefully for my audience too!'
Reginald Kofi Boateng is a visual artist born in Accra Ghana, he uses an iPhone to capture and edit beautiful stories around him to make digital art ,His work reflects on creating an imaginary world using vibrant colours, contrasting it with the melanin skin of his subjects which gives a feeling of nostalgia to his works. His works has been featured on Prazzle Magazine and he has exhibited with Calabar Gallery NYC, The Cowrie Culture and many more
Joseph Nii Abbey Abbey-Mensah is an emerging Ghanaian contemporary visual artist. His works have been featured by bloggers and websites globally including VSCO and Bella Naija.
Joseph was born and grew up in Accra. As an artist, many of his works are inspired by his upbringing and Ghanaian heritage. This influence manifests itself in Ghanaian motifs that satisfy the task of aesthetics. His goal is to give his followers the aesthetic pleasure needed to engender artistic conversations.
Hakeem Adam is a Ghanaian artist and freelance arts and culture writer exploring the power of narrative, transmitted through various creative outlets including poetry, creative writing, photography, video art and sound design. He is also the founder and creative director of DANDANO, a Pan-African cultural platform for African film and music criticism and documentation. His work is fixated on broadcasting ideas that help our collective investigation of themes such as identity, emotion, politics and freedom.
Hakeem completed a degree in Psychology and English from the University of Ghana in 2017 but is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist. He has worked with publications like OkayAfrica, 10and5, Dynamic Africa, Roads and Kingdoms, Culture Trip, ACCRA[dot]ALT and Circumspecte as a freelance writer. Hakeem’s current practice involves developing a methodology for employing sound as the predominant narrative device in video art.
The digital arts scene in Ghana has seen phenomenalgrowth over the last couple of years. One of the major names that hashelped shapeit isHanson Akatti, whose work haschanged the face of digital art and animation in the country.In an industry that hyper-sexualises women, Akatti included, this series of work is intended to objectify men in a manner which is not common in Ghanaian society.
Born in Accra, Ghana, Akatti’s worksare whimsical yet pseudo-realistic, influenced by comics, film, music and urban culture.His craft has been transforming album covers in Ghana, having worked with DJ Juls’, Fokn Bois, EL and Efya, his work is nowa determining factor for the effort ascribed to album artwork in Africa.His work has graced the covers and pages of magazines such as Canoe, Dust and A.20.
Godfried Donkor was born in Ghana in 1964, grew up in Europe and settled in London to begin his art practice. Godfried uses a range of different techniques. In addition to painting, drawing and photography.
As someone who straddles borders between continents and cultures, Donkor is interested in historical, sociological and societal topics; in particular, the shared history of the peoples of Africa and Europe. In view of this, he reflects on the trading of people in all its facets. For Donkor, it is important to illustrate the high value of sport and sexuality and thus the marketing of their protagonists in a global world.
Since the 1990s, Donkor has exhibited widely throughout the world especially in Africa, Europe and the United States. Selected group and solo exhibition include: Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana (2017); Afriques Capitales, La Villiette, Paris (2017); EVA International – Ireland’s Biennial (2016); Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C. (2014-16); Speaking of People: Ebony, Jet and Contemporary Art, Studio Museum, Harlem (2014 -15); How far how near, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2014 -15); Hollandaise, Raw Material Company, Dakar (2013); Black Germany, Haus de Kunst, Munich (2012); Trade and Empire: Remembering Slavery, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester (2007-08); Abolition 07, Hackney Museum, London (2007); Around the World in 80 days, ICA, London (2006); Concerto in Light and Darkness no 1, National Museum, Ghana (2005); Pin Up, Tate Modern, London (2004); Financial Times, Ecole Regionale des beaux Artes, Nantes (2004); Ghana Representation, Venice Biennale, Venice (2001); Whose Africa, Horniman Museum, London (2000); 7th Havana Biennale, Havana (2000); Wrestling and Mysticism, Dak’Art 2000, Dakar (2000); and Slave to Champ, EMACA Visual Arts, Nottingham (1999).
Museum collections which hold works by the artist include The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C.; National Collection of Senegal; World Bank collection, Washington D.C.; Art Omi, Ghent, New York; Unilever collection; University of Helsinki; and National Gallery of Botswana.
Donkor has taught and lectured widely as universities globally including: University of the Arts London; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi; University of Lancaster; Nottingham Trent University; Otis College of Art and Design, California; Art Center College of Design, California; U.C.L.A, California and Mills Collage, Oakland.
Born in Larache, Morocco in 1961, Hassan arrived in London in his teens and grew up amid the emerging club culture in the UK.Known as the “Andy Warhol of Marrakech” Hassan is very much a child of the pop art generation. His work encompasses many techniques and fields, from designing and producing furniture including lamps, stools and poufs made from recycled North African objects to custom made clothes and photography.
2015 saw Hassan’s first foray into film with Karima: A Day in The Life of A Henna Girl—a melange of documentary and B movie set within Marrakech’s Jemaa el-Fnaa square, which the artist refers to as “the University of Street Life.” Premiered at the LACMA and later on screened at Art Basel and the British Museum, Karima remains true to Hassan’s pop aesthetic and sets the protagonists of his vibrant photographs in motion.
Hajjaj’s selected solo shows include: Hassan Hajjaj: The Path, New Art Exchange, Nottingham, UK (2019);La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes, Al Riwaq Art Space, Adliya, Bahrain (2017); La Caravane, Somerset House, London, UK (2017); La Salle de Gym des Femmes Arabes, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2016); Hassan Hajjaj, My Rock Stars Experimental, Vol.1, Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, USA (2015); Kesh Angels, Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York, USA (2014);My Rock Stars: Volume 2, Gusford Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA (2014); My Rock Stars: Volume 1, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA, USA (2014, travelled from The Third Line, Dubai, and Virginia Commonwealth University, USA); Kesh Angels, Rose Issa Projects, London (2010); Fashion in Motion, Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2005).
Hajjaj’s work has been exhibited internationally in many high profile exhibitions including the African Metropolis: An Imaginary City, Maxxi National Museum, Rome, Italy (2018); National Gallery of Victoria Triennial, Melbourne, Australia (2017); Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK (2017); Treasures of Islam in Africa. From Timbuktu to Zanzibar, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France (2017); Fashion Cities Africa, Brighton Museum, UK (2016); Islamic Art Now: Contemporary Art of the Middle East, LACMA, Los Angeles, USA (2015); True to Life?-New Photography from the Middle East, Birmingham of Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK (2014); Light from the Middle East, Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2013); We are not Witches, Saatchi Gallery, London (2010); Africa Remix, Hayward Gallery, London (2005) and Contemporary African Visual Arts, British Museum, London (2005).
Hassan Hajjaj’s works have been acquired by the Guggenheim, Abu Dhabi, UAE, MAXXI National Museum, Rome, the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL), Marrakesh, Morocco, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Brooklyn Museum, New York; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and the British Museum, London.The artist lives and works between London, England and Marrakech, Morocco.
Latifah Iddriss works between the interface of architecture and art. To her, architecture is sculpture that evolves into habitable forms that seek to meet the needs of the environment and the culture it represents.
The aim of the designs she creates goes beyond an effort to meet utility; they are a way to envision form that is sensitive to the essence of what they represent. Through design, she hopes to solve the problems that manifest around her.
Latifah graduated from the architecture school at KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana. She has worked with Mobius Architecture, Archiafrika, and the Ashesi Design School Programmme, and exhibited with ANO, at 1-54, and has been featured by Christie’s Auction House.
Yasmine Mimi Iddriss is a visual artist based in Accra, Ghana. Yasmine believes in using design and photography to tell stories that capture attention, connect and evoke emotion from her audience. She is fascinated with human behaviour, design, architecture, nature and texture - all of which have influenced her photography.
Yasmine is currently developing a series of independent photographs and collaborating on projects ranging from graphic design, arts and documentary photography.Yasmine has worked with Nubuke Foundation - an arts and cultural institution and is also a founding member of CultMeraki - a holistic design studio in Accra, Ghana and is a graduate of Radford University with a BA in Graphic design.
Danso Awuah-Asante best known as Artsoul Kojo, is a Ghanaian contemporary artist whose art has gained recognition thanks to his endless cast of characters and personalities; these address a broad spectrum of universal and existential philosophies with childlike appeal. His childlike strokes and elementary shapes recall the simple yet complex imaginations of the human psyche, laying bare the limitless possibilities of how one can perceive the world.
Self-taught, Artsoul Kojo began painting and creating art extensively as a way of dealing with his introverted mind. His work fuses aspects of storytelling and abstract poetry with impressionist and pop-art visual references. With vastly diverse approaches he examines his imaginations applying elements of fine art, sound and poetry.Artsoul currently lives and works in Accra.
Michael Soi’s work provides a satirical commentary of social, economic and political trends. His work explores relationships – intergenerational, interracial or generally what he calls the ‘economics of love’. Commercial sex work and popular culture within the context of globalisation and consumerism are all themes that are presented in his illustrations. His work is informed by a strong tradition of cartoonists whose works have satirised Kenyan society since independence.
The value of satire is often seen to only entertain, however, it is a route to highlight sensitive social, political, religious and economic concerns. Acting as an alternate narrative, satirical work can broadcast the otherwise unmentionable.
Michael Soi was born, works and lives in Nairobi and is a member of what is termed as the second generation of Kenyan artists that emerged through Kuona in the late 90's among a group of other notable artists of his generation. In 1996, He begun his career as a sculptor and subsequently refined his own visual and artistic vocabulary over the years.
