Eugene Ankomah

Eugene Ankomah
Eugene Ankomah, 2017
Born
Eugene Ankomah

(1978-06-08) 8 June 1978 (age 46)
London, England
NationalityBritish
EducationCentral Saint Martins College of Art and Design
University of Westminster
Known forPainting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, tribal art, contemporary art, mixed media art
Notable workDrunkenness, Elijah Ascending to Heaven[1]
AwardsPeter Evans Award, Apthorp Fund for Young Artists, Contemporary Portraits Prize, Urban Tension Prize
Websiteeugeneankomah.com

Eugene Ankomah (born 8 June 1978[2]) is a self-taught British contemporary visual artist of Ghanaian descent, with an art career that has spanned more than eighteen years.

Early life

Born and raised in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London,[3][4] Ankomah spent his early childhood living in Ghana with his parents and four siblings, before his family relocated to the United Kingdom in 1990.[5]

He attended Willesden High School in 1991 now known as Capital City Academy, He then studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, before going on to earn a bachelor's degree in Illustration and Fine Art at the University of Westminster.[1][6]

Awards and prizes

At the age of 17, Ankomah became the first ever recipient of the Peter Evans Award, awarded by his school for best student, winning a prize fund of £900 as part of the prize.[6] He has been awarded from The Apthorp Fund for Young Artists[7] (which he won twice in 1999 and 2002), Urban Tension' Prize and Contemporary Portraits' Prize.

Shows and exhibitions

"Icarus and Amadeus" Tribal Sculpture by Eugene Ankomah. From the Tribal Works series.

To date, Ankomah has taken part in more than 90 shows and exhibitions.

He was chosen by the National Campaign for the Arts (NCA) – then chaired by Melvyn Bragg[8] (presenter of ITV's The South Bank Show and long-time broadcaster) – to showcase his work in a 2003 major solo show entitled The Birth[9] at London's Carnaby Street.[citation needed]

In 2008, Ankomah took part in a group show entitled An Expo of Artful Dodgers[10] among a list of UK visual artists. He was part of a selected group of artists described as "the cream of up-and-coming talent" by The Daily Telegraph.[10]

During this period Ankomah took part in several other group shows, including Graffiti Express[11] (which he curated), an experimental group show which took place at The Wall at the Gallery in Willesden Green.

Commissions and projects

In 2002 Ankomah was one of a group of artists that worked on a flag for Buckingham Palace in honour of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[6] In 2010 his works were part of a Coalition Government Christmas card.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Cassie Johnson (24 May 2009). "Eugene Ankomah: A Star on the Rise". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Eugene Ntiri ANKOMAH". Companies House. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  3. ^ Raffray, Nathalie (2 November 2019). "Kensal Rise anti-knife crime artist Eugene Ankomah begins three month residency at Capital City Academy". Kilburn Times. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  4. ^ Raffray, Nathalie (27 January 2021). "Kensal Rise artist nominated for Man of the Year award". Kilburn Times. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  5. ^ Johnson, Cassie (24 May 2009). "Eugene Ankomah: A Star on the Rise". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Isaac Amo-Kyereme, "EUGENE ANKOMAH – 'An artist of incredible talent'", African Echo, Volume 46.
  7. ^ [1] Apthorp Fund for Young Artists @ Saatchi Gallery website
  8. ^ "Our history". National Campaign for the Arts. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  9. ^ Chenaii Crawford Corri (21 April 2018). "Eugene Ankomah". RaggedCult. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  10. ^ a b Artful Archived 20 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine Artful Festival
  11. ^ Graffiti Express @ The Gallery[permanent dead link‍]'Graffiti Express' Show
  12. ^ Dorcas Olorogun (17 December 2010). "UK Coalition Government Features Artwork By Artist- Eugene Ankomah On Christmas Card". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 26 March 2021.