# Kwesi Botchway URL: https://vielmetter.com/artists/kwesi-botchway/ Represented by Vielmetter Los Angeles Kwesi Botchway creates paintings and installations with content and material sourced from Accra, Ghana, where he lives and works. The paintings often feature figures within a domestic scene, facing backwards to the viewer, looking out at the audience from a mirror. Botchway paints his figures with his signature use of deep purple-black undertones and red-toned eyes. In Botchway’s compositions, the act of seeing becomes a material, geographic, and refracted meditation where both figure and audience echo their respective witnessing gazes. For Botchway, these gazes highlight moments of joy and support, evoking the artist’s intent to simultaneously express positive and self-affirming images of the Black body and to encourages participation in pleasures historically denied to the Black body. **Kwesi Botchway** was born in 1994, in Accra, Ghana, where he continues to live and work. He is the founder of WorldFaze in Accra, a studio and residency space that focuses on supporting young local artists. Kwesi studied art at the Ghanatta College of Art and Design in Accra before enrolling at the Academy of Visual Arts in Frankfurt, Germany. Botchway was nominated for the GUBA Awards USA as an Influential Artist in 2019, and has been featured in the NY Times, Financial Times, Flash Art, The Art Newspaper, ArtNews, and Frieze. His paintings are included in such public collections as the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, the Vanhaerents Foundation, Belgium, the High Fashion Foundation, New York, the Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. ## Exhibitions - [Kwesi Botchway: Be Your Own Cool](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/kwesi-botchway-2025.md): July 19 — September 13, 2025 · Gallery II · Artists: Kwesi Botchway - [Kwesi BotchwayAccra! The Rise of a Global Art Community](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/kwesi-botchway-accra-the-rise-of-a-global-art-community.md): October 6, 2023 — January 28, 2024 · The Columbus Museum of Art · Artists: Kwesi Botchway - [Perpetual Portrait](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/perpetual-portrait.md): July 8 — August 18, 2023 · Gallery I & II & III & IV · Artists: Laura Aguilar, Sadie Benning, Ellen Berkenblit, Sara Berman, Kwesi Botchway, Andrea Bowers, Kim Dingle, Nicole Eisenman, Esther Pearl Watson, Genevieve Gaignard, Karl Haendel, Lavaughan Jenkins, Raffi Kalenderian, The Estate of Pope.L, Robert Pruitt, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Amy Sillman, John Sonsini, Nicola Tyson, Hannah van Bart, Monique van Genderen - [Kwesi Botchway: There’s More Than What the Eye Witnesses](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/kwesi-botchway.md): May 13 — June 24, 2023 · Gallery I · Artists: Kwesi Botchway - [It’s Time: Kwame Brathwaite, Kwesi Botchway, Genevieve Gaignard, Rodney McMillian, Wangechi Mutu, Paul Mpagi Sepuya](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/group-exhibition-sepuya-gaignard-mcmillain-mutu.md): January 14 — February 25, 2023 · Gallery III · Artists: Kwesi Botchway, Genevieve Gaignard, Rodney McMillian, Wangechi Mutu, Paul Mpagi Sepuya ## Biography Born in 1994, Accra, Ghana Lives and works in Accra, Ghana **Selected Solo Exhibitions** 2025 "Be Your Own Cool," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA "The Sun Must Come Down Part II," Galerie 195, London, UK 2023 "Kwesi Botchway: There’s More Than What the Eye Witnesses," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 2022 "Rumors of Blackness," Maruani Mercier Gallery, Brussels, Belgium 2021 THE ARMORY SHOW, Booth P19, Gallery 1957, New York, NY 2020 "Becoming As Well As Being," Gallery 1957, London, UK "Dark Purple Is Everything Black," Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana 2017 Hos Oona Galleri & Sundhed, Vejle, Denmark **Selected Group Exhibitions** 2025 "30 Years" Maruani Mercier, Knokke-Heist, Belgium "Echoes of Her," Maruani Mercier, Brussels, Belgium 2024 "How Do You Want to See Yourself, Curated by Larry Ossei-Mensah, Galleria Anna Marra, Italy 2023-2024 "Africa Supernova: Collection Carla & Pieter Schulting," Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, Netherlands "Accra! The Rise of a Global Art Community," The Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH 2023 "Pop Masters: Art From the Mugrabi Collection," HOTA Home of the Arts, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia "Filling in the Pieces in Black," Maurani Mercier, Brussels, Belgium & Saatchi Gallery, London, UK "Perpetual Portrait," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA "It's here, it's there, it's everywhere," Ghana National Museum, Accra, Ghana "It's Time," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 2022-2023 "Unlimited," Gallery 1957, Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast, Ghana "When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting," Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town, South Africa 2021 "[West] African Resistance," Gallery 1957, (In Collaboration with Christie's Dubai), Dubai, UAE "Resistance," Maruani Mercier Gallery, Knokke, Belgium "Homecoming : Aesthetic of the cool," Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana "Wake-up Call," blijven liggen/laten staan, Collection Tanguy & Bieke Van "Quickenborne," Platform 6a by Deweer, Otegem, Belgium 2020 "Cgunu/Nkambom Art Exhibition," Cape Town, South Africa 2019 Chalewote Street Art Festival, Pidginimaginarium, Accra, Ghana Sabolai Radio Music Festival, Accra, Ghana 2018 James Town Caf Exhibition, Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall visit to Ghana, Chalewote Street Art Festival, PARAOTHER 2018, Accra, Ghana Artist Alliance Gallery, Accra, Ghana 2017 Hos Oona Galleri & Sundhed, Denmark Chalewote Street Art Festival, wata mata, Accra, Ghana Qaba Exhibition, Alliance Francaise, Accra, Ghana Ghana Culture Forum / National Theatre, Accra, Ghana 2016 "Let’s Talk Shit project," Alliance Francaise, Accra, Ghana 555 Art Exhibition, Accra, Ghana Africa Contemporary Art Gabah, Hamburg, Germany Hos Oona Galleri og Sundhed, Vejle, Denmark Chalewote Street Art Festival, Spirit Robot, Accra, Ghana Dzala Butiq, Brazil House, Accra, Ghana Novica Gallery, Accra, Ghana 2015 Golden Tulip Hotel, Accra, Ghana Ghana National Museum, Accra, Ghana Ghanatta College of Art and Design, Art Center, Accra, Ghana **Bibliography** 2025 Crespo, Sofia. "Kwesi Botchway: Royalty On an Off The Canvas," Metal Magazine, November ([Link](https://metalmagazine.eu/en/post/kwesi-botchway)) Woodward, Daisy. "Brilliant Things to Do This August," AnOther, August 4 ([Link](https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/16518/things-to-do-this-august-2025-new-exhibitions-films-theatre-restaurants-london)) 2024 Brownell, Gianne. "From Africa to Hong Kong, a Gallery’s Influence Grows," The New York Times, March 20 ([Link](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/arts/design/africa-gallery-57-influence-grows.html)) 2023 Ahluwalia, Navi. "Ghanaian Painter Kwesi Botchway Explores The Black Gaze In LA Solo Exhibition," HypeBae, June 16 ([Link](https://hypebae.com/2023/6/ghanaian-painter-kwesi-botchway-los-angeles-exhibition-details)) Ghassemitari, Shawn. "Kwesi Botchway Explores the Black Gaze in Latest Exhibition," HypeArt, June 15 ([Link](https://hypebeast.com/2023/6/kwesi-botchway-vielmetter-2023-exhibition)) Baumgardner, Julie. "‘This Is a Moment They Have to Grab’: How Ghana’s Art Stars Are Building a Movement to Outlast the Speculators and Market Frenzies," Artnet, April 12 ([Link](https://news.artnet.com/market/cornelius-annor-ghana-artist-market-2282120)) O'Leary, Erin. "It’s Time | Vielmetter Los Angeles," Photography, March 1 Larsson, Chari. "Did pop art have its heyday in the 1960s? Perhaps. But it is also utterly contemporary," The Conversation, February 21 ([Link](https://theconversation.com/did-pop-art-have-its-heyday-in-the-1960s-perhaps-but-it-is-also-utterly-contemporary-198392)) Mousse Magazine Staff. "“It’s Time” at Vielmetter, Los Angeles," Mousse Magazine, February 18 ([Link](https://www.moussemagazine.it/magazine/its-time-vielmetter-los-angeles-2023/)) Nys Dambrot, Shana. "A Pair of Exhibitions Renovate Portraiture and Perfection at Vielmetter Los Angeles," LA Weekly, February 9 Clayton, Dominique. "The Best Black Art Shows in Los Angeles Right Now," Cultured, January 30 2022 Proctor, Rebecca Anne. "Artist-Led Spaces Are Proliferating Around the World, Filling a Gap Caused by Dwindling Public Funding and Market Pressures," ArtNet, December 26 ([Link](https://news.artnet.com/art-world/artist-led-spaces-are-proliferating-around-the-world-filling-a-gap-caused-by-dwindling-public-funding-and-market-pressures-2232925)) Tali, Selorm. "Kwesi Botchway: Ghanaian artist sells out masterpiece work after days of release," The Pulse, July 14 ([Link](https://www.pulse.com.gh/entertainment/kwesi-botchway-ghanaian-artist-sells-out-masterpiece-work-after-days-of-release/9bxw4pt)) Opera News Staff. "Kwesi Botchway showcases Captivating Paintings in Brussels," Opera News, May ([Link](https://gh.opera.news/gh/en/culture/5bec527ffb5fd68d25ca296fbffb3ac7)) Essien, Vanessa. "Kwesi Botchway: Using Art as a Tool for Change and Inspiring the Next Generation of Artists," Prazzle, March 10 ([Link](https://www.prazzlemagazine.com/post/kwesi-botchway-s-art-is-actively-reshaping-the-black-community)) Takac, Balasz. "Kwesi Botchway Celebrates Black Beauty at Maruani Mercier," Widewalls, February 16 ([Link](https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/kwesi-botchway-maruani-mercier)) 2021 Stoilas, Helen, Daniel Cassady, Nancy Kenney and Gabriella Angeleti, and Wallace Ludel"New and noteworthy: see what the Armory Show's younger galleries are bringing to the fair," The Art Newspaper, September 2 ([Link](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/09/02/new-and-noteworthy-see-what-the-armory-shows-younger-galleries-are-bringing-to-the-fair)) Black, Holly. "Kwesi Botchway: “I Wanted Viewers to Appreciate All Different Parts of Me”," Elephant, May 7 ([Link](https://elephant.art/kwesi-botchway-there-is-no-straightforward-way-of-describing-the-black-identity-07052021/)) Rotinwa, Ayodeji. "As the market for their artists booms, African galleries take control by expanding to the West," The Art Newspaper, April 20 ([Link](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/04/20/as-the-market-for-their-artists-booms-african-galleries-take-control-by-expanding-to-the-west)) Rotinwa, Ayodeji. "Cool Intentions," Artforum, April 14 ([Link](https://www.artforum.com/diary/ayodeji-rotinwa-at-homecoming-aesthetic-of-the-cool-at-1957-gallery-85456)) Barnes, Ekow. "The Culture List: Celebrating Groundbreaking Black Artists Around The World," Ebony, April 4 ([Link](https://www.ebony.com/the-list-celebrating-groundbreaking-black-artists-around-the-world/)) Rea, Naomi. "Studio Visit: Kwesi Botchway on the Importance of Painting Faces and Celebrating His Fellow Ghanaian Artists," Artnet, March 30 ([Link](https://news.artnet.com/art-world/studio-visit-kwesi-botchway-1955676)) Kraft, Coralie. "The T List: Five Things We Recommend This Week:," T Magazine, January 7 ([Link](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/t-magazine/loewe-totoro-black-queer-puzzles.html)) "Kwesi Botchway," Gallery 1957, DG3 Leycol, London, UK (Catalog) 2020 Emelife, Aindrea. "Kwesi Botchway’s Defiant Figures Examine the Black Experience," Frieze, December 11 ([Link](https://www.frieze.com/article/kwesi-botchway-becoming-as-well-as-being-2020-review)) Sporn, Stephanie. "For Ghanaian Portraitist Kwesi Botchway, Fashion and Power Go Hand in Hand," Galerie Magazine, November 13 ([Link](https://galeriemagazine.com/kwesi-botchway-gallery-1957/)) Brady, Anna and Margaret Carrigan. "Our pick of must-see gallery shows opening around the world in November," The Art Newspaper, November 2 ([Link](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2020/11/02/our-pick-of-must-see-gallery-shows-opening-around-the-world-in-november)) Edquist, Grace. "Ghanaian Artist Kwesi Botchway Revels in the Many Colors of Blackness in a New London Show," Vogue, October 27 ([Link](https://www.vogue.com/article/kwesi-botchway-becoming-as-well-as-being)) **Awards, Residencies, and Grants** 2021 Dark Purple is Everything Black, Gallery 1957, Ghana 2020 Gallery 1957 Residency, Accra, Ghana (January - March) 2019 GUBA Awards USA Nominee — Influential Artist **Catalogues and Publications** 2023 Botchway, Kwesi and Larry Ossei-Mensah. "Kwesi Botchway: There's More Than What The Eye Witnesses," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Of Wit Editorial, Small Graphic Projects (exhibition catalogue) 2022 Perrée, Rob and Shaquille Heath. "Rumors of Blackness," MARUANI MERCIER Gallery, Graphius, Brussels, Belgium (exhibition catalogue) **Public Collections** Arsenal Art Center, Canada Belgium High Fashion Foundation, New York, NY Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, NY High Fashion Foundation, New York, NY Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL The Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, Canada Museum of West African Art, Benin City, Nigeria National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia Schulting Art Collection, The Netherlands Stanley Museum of Art at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA Vanhaerents Art Foundation, Brussels, Belgium Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA