In the heart of Accra, Emmanuel Kwaku Yaro is redefining the boundaries of contemporary Ghanaian art. His vibrant and deeply human work turns discarded materials into a visual language that celebrates the identity and everyday life of his surroundings.
The son of a local shopkeeper, Yaro grew up among the colours of the market and the remains of used bags and sacks. That image, repeated every day, became the starting point for an artistic practice committed to sustainability. What others discard, he transforms into surfaces that breathe history, texture and emotion.
In her portraits, reused bags, wax cloth and jute sacks are integrated into the acrylic painting as symbols of belonging. Each recycled fragment bears a trace of the market, the home or the street, and together they construct a collective narrative about the way Ghanaians live, dress and recognise themselves.
Rather than depicting faces, Yaro captures the energy of a city reinventing itself between tradition and modernity. His works, full of colour and rhythm, pay homage to family, friends and merchants who reflect the vitality of Accra.
With a conscious eye for environmental impact, his art poses a dialogue between aesthetics and ethics: to create without wasting, to remember without idealising. Emmanuel Kwaku Yaro has thus established himself as a key voice in contemporary African art, capable of turning urban waste into portraits of a city that never stops beating.
Source: theartemartis.com; @afriquenoiremagazine