Born in 1979 in Ghana
Lives and works in Accra, Ghana
Eric Kpakpo is a craftsman specializing in figurative coffins for the local market. He trained with Paa Joe, before opening his own workshop in La in 2006. It was there that he met Ataa Oko, with whom he collaborated to create a hen-shaped coffin for the Six Feet Under exhibition at the Kunstmuseum in Bern.
In 2024, on the occasion of the Magic Ghana exhibition at the MAGNIN-A gallery, Eric Kpakpo presented a new series of sculpted stools. Traditionally reserved for the chiefs and priests of the Ga ethnic group - from which he descends - these seats carry strong symbols, linked to the social and spiritual status of their owners.
For this series, the artist relies on the craftsmanship transmitted by his peers, while reinterpreting the forms with contemporary freedom. True to tradition, he paints his stools white, but adds colorful symbols created especially for the exhibition. These works testify to both respect for cultural roots and Kpakpo's own creative impulse.
Collections
New Orleans Museum or Art, USA
