Joseph Amedokpo
Profile
Country: Togo
Style: Abstract personification, contemporary, magical realism, fine art
Medium: oil on canvas
Fun Fact: He is a simple man, an ecofriendly simple man; Amedokpo paints using locally available oils and his canvases are recycled flour sacks, washed and stretched. His studio forms part of his family compound; a tin roof shelters him from the African sun and seasonal rains.
Quote:
Red is my favorite color,” says Joseph. “From red I can make so many other colors. It is very important in our traditions, too. Red is the color of blood, which is life, and our soil, which feeds us. And red is one of the main colors of many of our gods, like Mamiwata, who can heal the sick.
Paintings
1. Shango- God of Thunder
2. Devil’s cooking pot
3. The Initiation of the Voudou maidens
4. Birds KIngdom
5. Angere stilt dancers
Dell picked Joseph’s paintings for their Computer covers, the statement was: His paintings touch on the failures and weaknesses of people, as well as their core strength, their hopes. The aids crisis in Africa. How all kings eventually dance naked, brought down to earth with the rest of us.
His art covers a wide swath of the old and the new, in this area, and he has seen some success as his paintings are increasingly sought out and collected internationally. He hopes his participation in Project Red will expose his art to more people, and he is glad that his paintings will be helping fight aids in Africa.
African Art Agenda 