Amoako Boafo, Bueno, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim.
Boafo, the Black Artist Who Turned Art History Upside Down: "Finger Painting Is Uncontrollable and Joyful"
In an article published by Arte Magazine Korea, journalist Kim Bo-ra explores the remarkable trajectory of Amoako Boafo, whose exhibition I Have Been Here Before marks his first solo museum show in Asia. Presented at the Wooyang Museum of Art in Gyeongju as part of the 2025 APEC cultural program, the exhibition offers a powerful reflection on Black identity, diaspora, and visibility through Boafo’s signature finger painting technique.
Born in Accra, Ghana, and later trained in Vienna, Boafo blends European art history with African aesthetics to redefine portraiture. His textured, vibrant works—distinguished by hand-applied paint and expressive colors—center Black figures with dignity and nuance. The exhibition unfolds across four sections (Shall Gaze, State of Being, Posturing and Posing, and Space for the Divine), culminating in a collaborative installation with Ghanaian architect Glen Drosh inspired by traditional Korean hanok architecture.
The article traces Boafo’s rapid ascent: from being discovered on Instagram by Kehinde Wiley to collaborations with Dior, paintings aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket, and inclusion in major museum collections such as the Tate, Guggenheim, and Fondation Louis Vuitton. Through his Dot Atelier in Ghana, Boafo also nurtures the next generation of Black artists and curators.
More than an exhibition, I Have Been Here Before is a testament to Boafo’s belief in the transformative power of art—at once personal, political, and transcultural.
