Meet the HowFar
Artist Collective
Chrystabel Dzandu
Chrystabel Dzandu is a Ghanaian abstract artist whose work explores identity, transformation and the freedom found in self-expression. Known for her distinct style of abstract portraiture, she reimagines personal and shared experiences through abstraction, translating emotion, memory and movement into expressive compositions. Her paintings are both introspective and bold, capturing the tension between vulnerability and strength. Through her art, Chrystabel invites viewers to embrace imperfection as beauty and authenticity as power. She has exhibited with Women Arts Institute Africa, Gallerie Soak and HowFar Gallery.
Vifah Emmanuel
Vifah Emmanuel is an Accra-born impasto expressionist whose work explores the layered complexities of human identity and emotion. Entirely self-taught, he discovered early on that drawing was both an escape and a way to navigate the world, leading him to study Visual Arts at Accra High School before pursuing his practice independently.
Through bold strokes, textured surfaces and vibrant colour, Emmanuel examines the habits, contradictions and feelings that shape human experience. His figures often blur the line between reality and emotion, inviting viewers into a raw and expressive inner world. Driven by curiosity and intention, his work reflects an ongoing journey of understanding both people and self.
Abena Oyiwaa
Abena Oyiwaa (b. Angelina Asomaning Ampofo) is a self-taught Ghanaian visual artist based in Accra. Working primarily in oil paint, she describes her style as Afro-Fem Surrealism, a visual language that explores the inner lives of African women and reframes vulnerability as strength.
Her work draws on stories of growth, wellness and the expectations placed on women, using surrealist expression to challenge and reimagine them. In 2024 she received the inaugural MenstruART Prize from Amnesty International Ghana, recognising artists addressing womanhood and bodily autonomy.
Her paintings have been exhibited in Accra, Athens and New York, and she has been described as Ghana’s Frida Kahlo for her bold storytelling and deeply personal approach to art.
Erica Adjei
Erica is a Ghanaian artist from Larteh Akuapim, now based in Pokuase on the outskirts of Accra. Her distinctive practice began while working at a paper press, where she started experimenting with discarded waste paper—transforming what others overlooked into a powerful and sustainable artistic medium.
Her paintings are defined by vibrant shades of orange, bringing warmth, optimism and playful energy to her work. Through this unique use of texture and colour, Erica celebrates the beauty found in everyday materials and offers a joyful, life-affirming perspective on contemporary Ghanaian creativity.
Gideon Niikoi Kotey
Gideon Niikoi Kotey is a Ghanaian artist from McCarthy Hill, Accra, who grew up surrounded by paint, brushes and the rhythm of his father’s studio. Art was never a choice, it was part of life. Deeply connected to his roots, Gideon’s work reflects a dialogue between tradition and modern expression.
He often incorporates Adinkra symbols, weaving their cultural meanings into his contemporary visual language. Using a distinctive photo-transfer technique, he brings together images of his family and surroundings with layered textures and paint, creating pieces that feel both intimate and symbolic.
Charity Derby Akeiti
Charity Derby Akeiti is a multidisciplinary artist of Ghanaian and Nigerian descent whose practice centres on painting and textile work. She is best known for her surreal, pupil-less figures painted on bleached fabric—a technique she developed during the COVID-19 lockdown when access to traditional materials was limited.
Existing in quiet, dreamlike spaces, her figures explore the tension between desire and reality. By removing pupils, Akeiti resists fixed identity and emotion, allowing viewers to project their own interpretations onto the work. Themes of intimacy, vulnerability and inner worlds run throughout her practice, expressed through soft forms, restrained colour palettes and considered negative space.
Desmond Nii Kortey Botchway
Desmond Nii Kortey Botchway draws inspiration from the masquerade traditions of the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, where performance, ritual and visual spectacle come together as expressions of identity. Rooted in spiritual practice and community celebration, these masquerades inform his exploration of storytelling, ancestry and cultural continuity.
Through depictions of intricate masks and symbolic costumes, Botchway reflects on the living connection between past and present. His work highlights how colour, form and material carry meaning—honouring ancestral traditions while revealing their continued relevance within contemporary culture.
Richmond Agamelah
Born in 1989, Richmond Agamelah is a Ghanaian artist based in Accra who studied at the prestigious Ghanatta College of Art and Design. His work is driven by character-led compositions in which figures take on a distinctly performative presence.
Working with discarded plastics—ranging from phone cards to broken rulers—Agamelah reimagines straight-edged materials as expressive tools. By carving into acrylic paint with rhythmic spontaneity, he connects the physicality of his process to emotional states such as love and empathy. This fusion of material experimentation and emotional storytelling defines the playful yet deeply human quality of his work.
David Nyemah
David Nyemah is a painter and muralist based in Osu, Accra, whose multidisciplinary practice is rooted in the therapeutic power of creation. A featured artist at the Chalewote festival, his career began as a means of healing during family illness, evolving into a dedicated exploration of visual storytelling.
Through a surrealist lens, Nyemah explores complex themes of identity, sustainability, and resilience. His compositions bridge the gap between personal memory and universal experience, inviting viewers to find harmony within themselves and their environment. By recontextualizing everyday moments, Nyemah’s work acts as a visual dialogue on hope and nature, aiming to inspire an appreciation for the beauty found in the world around us.