Anthony Amoako-Attah first encountered glassmaking during his Ceramics BA degree at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana in 2010 – glass had only just been introduced to the department. He moved to Sunderland University to complete an MA in Glass and is currently working on his PhD in Glass at the same institution.
Amoako-Attah superimposes the intricate patterns of Kente textiles from Southern Ghana onto sheet glass, which he kiln-forms to mimic the movement and texture of cloth. Kente cloth uses colour and pattern symbolically to celebrate rites of passage and historical events. He also incorporates black-and-white symbols called Adinkra, which represent concepts from Ghanaian proverbs. Amoako-Attah invents new Kente designs that express contemporary experiences of transition, migration, integration and life chances.
Take me home II (2022) is representative of a more sculptural direction for Amoako-Attah. This work is based on the woven plastic red, white and blue bags that derogatorily became known as ‘Ghana Must Go’ bags when Ghanaians were forcefully expelled from Nigeria in 1983, following an executive order from President Shehu Shagari. Their ubiquity allowed Ghanaians to conceal important familial and cultural belongings as they fled. This is represented in the piece, which replicates the simple design of the bags and confirms their status as cultural symbols with Kente patterns and Adinkra symbols.
Leicester Museum and Art Gallery has a handful of textile samples from Ghana within its collection. Amoaka-Attah’s work resonates with the institution in terms of how it captures the spirit of African textiles but also how it explores themes related to the effects of migration, dislocation and personal identity – particularly relevant as the Museum & Art Gallery attained the Museum of Sanctuary Award last year.
