Almine Rech is pleased to announce the representation of contemporary Ghanaian artist Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe in Europe, the UK, and China
Born in 1988 and raised in Accra, Ghana, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe now lives and works in Portland, Oregon. Quaicoe presents his subjects in the form of portraiture, where he engages with ideas of empowerment through his bright and luminous depictions of figurative portraits. This is embodied in the postures of his sitters, who appear set against vibrant monochromatic backgrounds.
As a young man, Quaicoe developed a fascination with stylized posters seen at the movie theatre in his hometown, Accra. It was there that, one day, he discovered a group of artists painting large canvases for the posters behind the main stage. This was a catalytic moment for Quaicoe, who then began drawing and painting incessantly from collected magazine clippings and ‘anything he could get his hands on’. After his studies at the Ghanatta College of Art and Design and during his photography studies, Quaicoe became deeply involved in the subject of figuration and portraiture, specifically Black portraiture.
Quaicoe began to paint from his photographs, creating highly personal and intimate yet formal and premeditated portraits. In 2019, during his residency at La Brea Studio in Los Angeles, Quaicoe began to work on the style he is known for today, utilizing pure pigment on canvas with thick, coarse textures. The paintings he produced during this period were then exhibited in his first solo show at Roberts Projects, LA.
Quaicoe has exhibited internationally since 2016 and in February 2021, he was selected to complete an artist-in-residence at the Rubell Museum in Miami, Florida.
Recently, Quaicoe was included in several group shows, comprising Painting Someone at Almine Rech Shanghai in November 2020, Un Hiver à Paris at Almine Rech Paris in February 2021, Salon de Peinture at Almine Rech New York in April 2021, and the August Presentation at Almine Rech Aspen. He will also present one of his works in the group show Black American Portraits at LACMA, Los Angeles, opening in November 2021.
For inquiries, please contact: inquiries@alminerech.com
Portrait of Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, 2021 / Courtesy of the Artist and Almine Rech - Photo: Dan Kvitka
