Guardians, acrylic on canvas, 130x140cm, 2019
我的绘画不是人物肖像，我画的是我梦中和小时候的记忆，因此我创造了远离现实的人物。以这种方式作画，我想向童年记忆里的非洲阿坎文化图像致敬，同时让绘画主题更加贴近观看者。在我们的世界里，现实生活存在太多分歧，在非现实、想象的世界里应该强调人类欲望、需求和恐惧的普遍存在，创造出一种氛围让我们认识到，激发我们前进的也是激发全人类前进的。我认为，这种与现实的割裂可以应对现实中社会、文化、和政治上的不适，通过人类共同的经验将大家团结起来。——科乔·马尔夫
Rather than painting likenesses of real people, my paintings are focused on figures from my dreams and childhood memories, so that I can create characters removed from reality. I paint in this way, not only to pay respect to the visual memories of my childhood that were rooted in Akan cultural images but also because I wanted the themes explored in the paintings to be more accessible to viewers. In our world, where reality breathes life to so many divisions, an un-reality is needed to emphasize the universality of our human desires, needs, and fears and create an environment where we can better see that what drives us is what drives all humans. I feel that this separation from reality is needed to tackle our uncomfortable social, cultural, and political realities and bond through our universal human experiences. — Kojo Marfo
Divine Energy, acrylic on canvas, 120x160cm, 2020
Mirror of Broken Dreams, acrylic on canvas, 130x160cm, 2020
Royal Blood, acrylic on canvas, 130x160cm, 2020
科乔·马尔夫来自加纳，在英国生活和工作。受到周围非洲传统人工制品的启发，他如工匠对待手工艺品一般来从事自己的工作。他充满活力的作品将过去的经历与现在的生活并置在一起，将童年时代的想象和记忆融入了当下现实，作为他的艺术不断发展的一部分。他的作品已在巴黎、东京、阿姆斯特丹、纽约、巴塞罗那和伦敦举办的国际展览中展出。“多年来，我意识到，进入工作室时带着对自己的固有认识和绘画愿景，这可能是一个障碍。我怎样才不会迷失自我，仍然能够发现新事物？这似乎与绘画无关，但是如何开始一幅绘画对我而言是很重要的。如果我总是坚持我所知道的，通常只会得到相同的结果。我总能画出一幅机巧的作品，但这不是我的目标。我想用真心和真诚作画，面对令人不舒服的政治问题，进行实验，并去发掘发现。”（科乔·马尔夫）
Kojo Marfo is a Ghanaian artist based in England. Inspired by an upbringing surrounded by traditional African artifacts, he approaches his work as a craftsman approaches the artifacts that are his trade. His vibrant works juxtapose his past experiences with his present life, incorporating visions from his childhood into his current reality, as a part of his constant drive to grow and evolve with authenticity. His work has been exhibited internationally in Paris, Tokyo, Amsterdam, New York City, Barcelona, and London. “For many years, I realized that I entered the studio with a picture of myself and a vision for my painting, which can be an obstacle. How do I not lose myself and still discover something new? This might seem like it has nothing to do with painting but how I begin is important to me. If I stick with what I know I usually get the same results. I can always paint a clever picture, but that’s not my goal. I’m trying to make something with heart and authenticity, tackle uncomfortable politics, experiment, and discover.”(Kojo Marfo)