An African painter will soon shine in outer space. After featuring in art exhibitions and galleries in Europe and the US, world-famous Ghanaian artist, Amoako Boafo, was asked to commission three panels for a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket ship.
The ship will be launching on a roundtrip mission to space this fall, according to The Art Newspaper.
The artwork is part of a project called Suborbital Triptych established through a partnership between Jeff Bezos and the new art program at Uplift Aerospace, curated by Jill Clark.
“There are special paints. I can’t say more at this stage about the materials, but soon! I am drawn to the idea of my works going into a new orbit, literally. This will further push my vision for my practice. I am honored to be one of the first Black men to have my work sent to space. I’m very excited to be a part of this from a historical standpoint,” Ghanaian artist Boafo told The Art Newspaper.
Boafo said that having an African artist in the outer space program shows the world the importance of African art globally, and he believes that it will be cemented in history.
“This will be clear in the work I am creating, for future generations. Also, it means a lot to me that my message of Black joy and self-determination is a part of it,” he said.
According to Uplift Aerospace, its seminal project, the Suborbital Triptych series, is emblematic of Uplift’s mission to further scientific discoveries and creative experimentation by granting artists access to the most advanced space technologies.
“The profound strength of Amoako’s portraits for the first Suborbital Triptych will bring another dimension to the power that propels the New Shepard rocket,” Uplift Aerospace’s CEO Josh Hanes said in a statement.
Born in Accra, Ghana, Boafo’s newly commissioned project is just the most recent development in the African artist’s professional meteoric rise. A graduate of Accra’s Ghanatta College of Art and Design in 2008, he was awarded with the Best Portrait Painter of the Year award. In 2014, he moved to Vienna, where he could further develop his artwork. After a few years of exhibitions in Europe, Boafo saw his work being highly demanded in the global market, receiving international recognition, and a steady stream of brand collaborations.
The Ghanaian painter has become one of this generation’s most coveted contemporary artists. Now, this African artist will blast off into outer space.
