Joseph AMÉDOKPO
(1946) [view
available works from this artist]
Joseph Amédokpo
was born in Vogan, Togo (West Africa) in 1946, and moved
to Lagos, Nigeria at the age of eight where he received
his education and art training. Amédokpo received
a scholarship from the Yaba Trade Center where he studied
fine art from 1966-1968. After returning to Vogan in the
early eighties to care for his family (he was the eldest
brother), he supported himself and his family through
his painting.
Vogan, Togo is located about 15 miles north of the Atlantic
Ocean and about the same distance from Benin, Togo's neighbor
to the east. A sleepy rural town that comes alive on Fridays
with the largest traditional market in Togo, Vogan is
centered in the Gold Coast/Slave Coast swath that stretches
from Ghana into Nigeria. An area rich in history that
shares the common cultural heritage of ancestor worship
and the spiritist based religion of Vodun. The still vibrant
practice of Vodun and the many ancient folk tales and
legends of the Yoruba, Fon, and Ewe cultures form the
inspiration for much of Joseph Amédokpo's work.
From his time growing up in Lagos Amédokpo paints
the "Okuku Shrine" and the Yoruba tale of "The
Hunter and the Monkey" among others. Themes such
as Ancestor worship and Vodun ceremonies and rituals are
also very present in his canvases.
source: "Modern Art from Africa",
C. Clyde
Joseph
Amédokpo at his studio
Joseph Amédokpo
GALLERY
