Art for development: Isaac Koney tells his story

He is currently one of the most sought after Ghanaian artists raising high the flag of the motherland with an impressive and enviable art portfolio. He specializes in hybrid art, using old learning materials including slates with chalk, pastel, crayons and charcoal to draw figures and abstract images

Isaac Konney was born in Osu, located in the heart of the nation’s capital, Accra, into an average family. Unfortunately, his parents separated when he was an infant and had to grow up with his mother, a petty trader with a little bit of support from his maternal grandmother and his stepfather along the line.

Growing up as an underprivileged child in Klakamadu, a deprived suburb in La was very tough for the young enterprising community based artist who is currently seeking to use his talent to support and motivate children to be interested in the arts and also create livelihood for young people in his community.

“Life has not been easy for me and I grew up with my mother and four siblings in very challenging circumstances. I am the first child so you can understand the support I had to provide to my mom starting from a very tender age to ensure we are able to survive. To be able to have my basic education, I had to be hawking on the streets of La just to raise money which would be used to take care of my education as well as my siblings. I was combining hawking with my education and trust me that was no joke especially at such a very young age”, he emphasised.

According to Isaac, he has been interested in the arts from his childhood. He has had a lasting curiosity about arts that has persisted over the years. It is appropriate to say that his interest in artistic expression, creativity and the study of the arts has been a significant part of his life from a very early stage in his life.

He added that “by the age of eight years, I had this unique energy and excitement about arts and wanted to be involved in anything to do with arts whether at home, school or within the community. This was very evident in my performance at school. I did very well in arts related courses and my passion for the field grew by the day. I think I had some great level of encouragement from peers and my teachers who also gave great remarks about my works and some pieces I develop on my own”.

After his elementary education, he proceeded to the Presbyterian Senior High School, Osu to pursue Visual Arts. He discovered the importance of arts to humans and society at large; art inspires and uplifts, offers moments of beauty, inspiration and contemplation in our daily lives. It was during his senior high school education that he decided to create a career out of the arts.

He participated in various art competitions and won all for his school. He started building relationships with very established artists as well as exceptional up-coming ones with prospects in order to learn the rudiments of the trade. He was determined to make a difference in his life and change the circumstances of his family using the power of the arts which usually reflects in his works.

Speaking about the relevance of arts to him, Isaac stated that “I am a testimony of the possibilities and power of the arts in making a positive transforming of person. What I can say is that I am an artist with a sample vision to use the art and my work to cause a change in my community; positively impacting the youth and also creating avenues for them to improve their standard of their lives as well as other people that depend on them”.

Isaac has collaborated with key institutions and key stakeholders to curate exhibitions in Ghana and around the world. They include ‘Akra’ with the Lasa Gallery in Osu – Accra, ‘Worry Free Zone’ with the No9 Contemporary Gallery at Buro at Labone – Accra, ‘Borderless’ with Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland- California, and ‘Accra in Vienna’ with Rupert Gallery in Austria.

He has commenced the ‘Isaac Konney Community Projects’, which focuses on engaging the youth and teenagers of his community and other deprived communities in Accra through various art forms and other activities to sensitize them on the need to become aspirational in life.

In addition, the project is to motivate them to aim for the ultimate in life at all times.

“I am an example to these young ones and we want them to believe in themselves. They can get to the top and achieve anything they want if they put in the work and remain determined and continue pushing. In life, you have to persevere despite all the challenges you will face on the way. That plus character in my own opinion are very important for us to succeed in our work and lives. As part of the project, we are offering free art lessons for the kids, educational materials and various sporting activities”, he added.

According to Isaac, there has been tremendous improvement in how things work within the creative space in recent times including limitless opportunities for artists in Ghana and around the world.

“Since young artists like Amoako Boafo burst onto the international art scene, it has affected the entire art scene in Ghana positively. We now have more art galleries being established providing opportunities for young artists to exhibit their work and make some financial gains”, he concluded.

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