Ghana’s Alfred Addo wins the “Award Of Excellence” at the 45th annual edition of the nation’s longest running contemporary and fine art fair
Prominent mixed media artist from Ghana, Alfred Addo, has been presented with one of the most prestigious awards by Artexpo New York, during the 45th annual edition of the nation’s longest running contemporary and fine art fair, that took place at Pier 36 in Manhattan, April 7—10. Alfred is considered most accomplished for his prized works of art that currently sit in the permanent collection of the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The “Award Of Excellence” presented by Redwood Art Group’s Marketing Managing Director, Linda Mariano, adds to Addo’s growing list of award-winning accomplishments over the last year, including “Best of Show” at the Naples Fine Art Show in Florida; “Award of Excellence” at the Estero Fine Art Show in Fort Myers, Florida and “Award of Excellence” at the Boca Raton Fine Art Show in Florida. Representing his nation of Ghana, among the hand-picked artists from Africa at this year’s Artexpo New York, Alfred presented his most renowned works of art with wide acclaim among the 18,000+ industry members and art enthusiasts in attendance over the four days. On display in the addo Contemporary Art booth were Alfred’s most popular pieces, including “Family Time on a Swing” made from his signature technique of sawdust and recycled plastics, together with a number of ethnic-themed paintings in acrylic and resin, as well as his coveted sculptures of lifelike tribesmen and women, adorned in a multi-colored coating of effervescent blues, greens and orange.
“I’m honored to have been presented with the Award Of Excellence by Redwood Art Group at this year’s Artexpo New York,” says Alfred Addo. “This year was my third appearance at the fair, and I knew the attendance would be extra special, so I pulled out all the stops to ensure my exhibition was even more spectacular than ever before. The New York art world is very discerning and affluent, which encourages artists like myself to bring out the very best collection and raise the bar even further. I look forward to sharing my latest work for a fourth year with collectors in New York at the fair in 2023.” The award by Artexpo New York marks Alfred’s fourth award this year.
Georgia-based Alfred Addo is well known on the African continent and in his native Ghana for his eclectic and dynamic artworks that capture the spirit of the Ghanaian people, while promoting sustainable development through his signature technique that adopts a distinctive multi-layered approach. As an experienced artist, with a career spanning more than two decades, Alfred is known for his unique “Afrocentric” sculptures made out of recycled sawdust, and his bold colorful mixed media paintings that explore intricate themes inspired by his Ghanaian roots.
Alfred presented his latest series of work that includes his recycling sculpting technique that depict Afro-themed figures that are glazed in metallic gold and copper pigments. For the clothes of the female characters portrayed, he adds a hint of bright metallic purple and orange to create a metallic look that is mounted on a black background to accentuate the gold finish. His signature metallic accents are created from upcycled sawdust, resin and waste plastics, a unique and eco-friendly process that Alfred has perfected over the years.
Alfred’s introduction to art came early in his childhood years—watching his father as an artist, who would create beautiful works in his studio at the back of their house in Accra, Ghana, on the western coast of the African continent. This early exposure not only made him driven to create beautiful art, but also encouraged Alfred to pursue the entrepreneurial business side of art.
Born in Ghana in 1975 into a family of artists, Alfred’s primary inspiration came from his father, a self-taught artist himself, who challenged him to be different and create his own unique pieces. While passionate about art, he also possessed a keen interest in the physical sciences. After his secondary education, Alfred was torn between going to college to study medicine and pursuing his passion to be a professional artist. He eventually followed his passion and decided to pursue art professionally.
Since then, Alfred has specialized in mixed media and relief sculpture as the core of his profession. His physical science background led him to experiment with different materials, including sawdust, which he played with throughout his childhood at the sawmill where his father bought and cut wood for his sculptures. Alfred grew up loving this medium and decided to make a central part of all his artworks. While increasingly passionate about the sustainability of the environment and the earth, he perfected this method of recycling sawdust and waste packaging materials to create various types of sculpture and relief works, most of which are now created using environmentally preferred materials as his own contribution towards sustaining the environment for future generations.
Alfred has participated in many art exhibitions and fairs in the U.S. and overseas, receiving international recognition at juried art competitions. Alfred is widely collected in South Africa, where he maintains a studio and has been commissioned by reputable bodies including the Reserve Bank of South Africa, South African Civil Aviation Authority, CSIR, Gauteng Planning and Economic Development Brand South Africa, among other corporate organizations.
For further information on Alfred Addo, visit www.alfredaddo.com. For further information on addo Contemporary Art, visit www.addocontemporary.com.