Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo’s innovative approach to the representation of the Black figures and positions in a broader global context has built his reputation as a notable young figure among artists from the African diaspora over the last few years. He has his first museum exhibition, which is currently on view at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, “Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks.”
 
Curated by Larry Ossei-Mensah, the show takes its name from the famous book by W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963). The U.S. philosopher and civil rights pioneer is buried in Accra, near where Boafo grew up. For this show, even more relevant is Du Bois’s idea of “double consciousness,” the idea of exploring Black consciousness split between different communities.

[B]ack when I was part of the Black majority, I didn’t have to explain anything, but when I arrived in Vienna, their notions about Black people were different, and so I felt the urgency to do something to change that narrative. I remember doing works where I was mostly complaining about why they saw us the way they saw us, then somehow, I was like, “Maybe I should just show them how I want to be seen.”