Joseph Kojo Hoggar at work in his studio
Presenting their works for the first time in London, these artists are the new and important voices that, through the application of paint onto canvas, whether it be oil or acrylic, visually tell the story of the contemporary lived experience across the continent, in all its pride and joyful energy.
Previously named ‘Art Projects’, Encounters is the brand-new section of the London Art Fair curated by Pryle Behrman whereby two meanings of the word ‘encounter’ meet. As suggested by the word, an encounter is often by chance or unexpected, often leading to the discovery of the previously unknown. ‘Encounters’ encourage perhaps the discovery of an unknown artist, or paradoxically, an unexpected style, theme or subject matter from a well-known artist. Encounters also suggest a confrontation between contrasting positions and challenge entrenched views and understandings.
Artists Presented
Jules Disso (b.1995) is an emerging Cameroonian visual artist. Born in Douala, Disso is passionate about drawing and graffiti. After joining the Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Douala, he was in the centre of Cameroon’s varied artistic and cultural activity. Today, between academicism and the professional environment, he is maturing his plastic language, based on the art of portraiture with a ballpoint pen on canvas that questions the mechanism of childish fulfilment in our urban cities.
Joseph Kojo Hoggar (b.1999 Accra, Ghana) combines his knowledge of classical art history and contemporary culture to create pastiches that are rendered on sheets and canvases. His synthesis of colour and animated iconography reflects his truth-inspired sensibility and pays homage to paintings by Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Hans Holbein. Hoggar graduated from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in September 2022 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Moses Mous (b.1995 Maroua, Cameroon) is a contemporary Cameroonian artist who studied plastic arts and screen printing and is now pursuing a career in painting. His artistic development occurs through interactions with other artists and is inspired by his everyday experiences. Mous’ work is the representation of the Cameroonian urban environment in particular and African in general – an environment in which he paints modern subjects but which nevertheless remain attached to their cultures in one way or another. As Mous says, “.. my work is a highlight of contemporary African heritage but also a questioning of the African collective identity which is reinvented on a daily basis.”
Osman Salifu (b.1992 Accra, Ghana) has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Education, Winneba. Through his work, Salifu expresses a fervent pride in his identity as a black man embracing his uniqueness and heritage. He is also keen to portray black culture through the relationships and bonds established with the subjects featured in his portraits.
He has exhibited in Ghana as well as internationally and his works are held in private collections around the world.
Affen Segun (b.1993 Lagos, Nigeria) is a self-taught artist who began drawing at the age of 10 after being inspired by the popular Nigerian comic “Super Strikers”. Since 2018, Segun has developed a distinctive style, inspired by the colourful ankara fabric worn by his Yoruba mother for occasions and celebrations. Segun attributes his creativity to his mother and paid homage to her with his first solo exhibition in Lagos titled, Omo Adérónké, (son of Adérónké). Segun lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria.
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