Joshua Oheneba-Takyi-A Seat At The Table: Accra, Gallery III

About the artist

Born in Kumasi in 1997, as a young child Oheneba-Takyi gravitated to drawing and painting. He has sketched since he could remember. A particular instance took place when he was in kindergarten. His teacher told him to switch his pencil from his left  to his right hand because he is left-handed. But in doing so the young Oheneba-Takyi struggled to write properly. He then began to draw the letters. “Drawing became a coping mechanism for me,” he recalls. Since then, he has never stopped drawing. He began sketching cartoons and illustrations for story books. While he was on a science-focused track at school, he always continued to make  art on the side.

After high school Oheneba-Takyi decided that his true calling was to become an artist. Yet given his former schooling in science, he enrolled in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and studied building technology. After university he dedicated himself entirely to his art, painting on his own and with friends. To this day he has never taken a formal art class. He learned the practice of mixing paints and painting on canvas on his own and through his contemporaries. In 2018, he started Paintspree with a friend and colleague. The non-profit organization turns any space into an art-friendly environment where participants can relax and paint for fun as a way to invest in their creative selves. His work has been exhibited at various galleries in Ghana, and is in several private collections in Europe, including the Sir David Adjaye Private Collection in Accra and London. 

As a young artist Oheneba-Takyi now spends most of his time in his studio, presently located in Accra’s Labadi district as part of the Noldor Art Residency. There he works throughout the day on his large-scale works, sketching, painting, and researching.

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