Kwasi Darko

DARKO Ghana

KWASI

Kwasi Darko is a Ghanaian photographer and visual artist living and working in Accra, Ghana and across the African continent. My work explores the themes of self-expression, identity (African), insecurity, sexuality, isolation and gender fluidity. I love to travel and to explore the beauty and mystery of nature and this reflects heavily in my work as I always find a way to incorporate nature into the overall message. My muses are mostly underdogs and individuals who can also be described as the exceptions of the norm of whatever society they find themselves in. I believe we are in an age of self-discovery and self-acceptance and I explore these themes heavily in my work with hopes of carrying the message of self-love to anyone who comes across my pieces. There has been a steady rise of black awareness and the need for blacks to love and celebrate their blackness, be it their skin color, their fashion or culture and this has catapulted Africa to the forefront of global art in recent years. I consider myself fortunate to find myself in this new hub of inclusive art and I strive through my work to not only maximize the beauty of our uprising continent but to promote our essence and spirit through stunning compositions and rich themes.

Project: Here & Now

By our very genetic makeup, we should be fluid. We are half water and water does not resist, water flows. However, restrictions are placed on bodies and how they should interact with each other. From intimacy and emotions, we are conditioned to conform to specific gender roles and confinements. What happens then when one flows fluidly through contemporary and traditional African spaces in a non-normative expression of gender and identity. What is the outcome of self and society? In the second part of my work “Here & Now” I seek to explore this notion through the use of body movements and interaction.

I developed this project under the British Council Residency named “ColabNowNow” which involved the uniting of 11 different artists (sound, visual and design) in Johannesburg, South Africa (1st Part) and Maputo, Mozambique (2nd Part) to create stunning visual and artistic work. I chose this project in development of the first series, available on my website because I feel personally as a queer African man that it is high time these conversations are had to make way for the commencement of safe spaces for anyone out there that does not identify with the specific sexual roles African societies tend to place on individuals. The images from this photo are embedded with Codes which creates a moving effect (Augmented Reality, AR effect) when phone cameras are pointed at it.