Ataa Oko and his third wife, with a coffin in the form of a battleship, about 1960 Ataa Oko Addo (c. 1919 – 9 December 2012) was a

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

ian builder of figurative palanquins and figurative coffins, and at over 80 years of age he became a painter of

Art Brut Art Brut are a Berlin-based English and German indie rock band. Their debut album, '' Bang Bang Rock & Roll'', was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, '' It's a Bit Complicated'', released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter J ...

Biography

Ataa Oko Addo, called Ataa Oko, was born around 1919 in the coastal town of La, Ghana. He never went to

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

, but worked since he was about 13 years old as a fisherman. Later his family sent him on the cocoa plantations in the Ashante Region. From 1936 to 1939 he was trained as a carpenter in Accra. From 1939 to 1970 he worked in numerous temporary employments. According to Regula Tschumi, Ataa Oko started to build figurative coffins around 1945. He had been inspired by the

figurative palanquin A figurative palanquin connected with the totem of its owner is a special kind of litter used in the Greater Accra Region in Ghana. These palanquins called in the Ga language belong to the royal insignias and are used only by the Ga kings or '' ...

s he had seen in Accra. These palanquins were used by the Ga chiefs already at the beginning of the 20th century. The palanquins were built in the form of the respective family symbols which the Ga chiefs were using. Around 1960 Ataa Oko opened his own coffin and palanquin workshop in La. The last years of his life, Ataa Oko was retired and hardly built coffins any more. Around 2005 the former carpenter started to draw. His graphic art practice was born as a result of his meeting with Regula Tschumi who was making a research about the figurative coffins of the Ga. Looking for information about this art form the ethnologist asked Ataa Oko to draw his former works he had made some 50 years ago. Ataa Oko's graphic work developed continuously. When he died in 2012, he left behind a comprehensive body of work that give a fascinating insight not only into the life of the artist, but also into the religious life and culture of the Ga people. Ataa Oko's coffins and drawings were first exhibited in the group show "Six Feet Under" at the Kunstmuseum Berne 2006 and 2010/11 he had first one-man show in the well known

Collection de l'art brut The Collection de l'art brut (literally "Collection of Raw Art"; sometimes referred to as "Musée de l'art brut") is a museum dedicated to outsider art located in Lausanne, Switzerland. See also * American Visionary Art Museum The American ...

in Lausanne.

Single and group exhibitions

* 2020. Kunsthalle Hamburg, Hamburg: ''Mourning. On Loss and Change''. * 2017/18.

, Lausanne: ''3ème Biennale de l'art brut: Corps''. * 2017. ANO Gallery of

Nana Oforiatta Ayim Nana Oforiatta Ayim is a Ghanaian writer, art historian and filmmaker. Background Nana Ofosuaa Oforiatta Ayim was raised in Germany, England, and her ancestral homeland in Ghana. She studied Russian and Politics at the University of Bristol and ...

in Accra: "Accra: Portraits of A City". * 2014. MUT Museum of the University Tübingen: "Diesseits-Jenseits-Abseits". * 2012. MEN Musée ethnographique Neuchâtel ''Hors-Champs''. * 2011/12
''Miracles of Africa''
Hämeenlinna Art Museum,

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of ...

and

Oulu Museum of Art The Oulu Museum of Art (OMA) is an art museum in the Myllytulli neighbourhood in Oulu. It is located on the edge of the Hupisaaret Islands park. The museum was opened to the public on October 12, 1963. The first premises were in the so-called '' ...

, Oma, FinlandARS 11, Nykytaiteen museo Kiasma Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art. Artists: Ataa Oko, 1919, Ghana,

, Lausanne. Franck Lundangi, 1958, Angola, Artist’s own collection, Briare. Ghana Posters, Hand painted movie posters, Pascal Saumade’s collection, Paris; Paul Amar, 1919, Algeria. From 15 April to 27 November 2011. Mannerheiminaukio 2, Helsinki. www.kiasma.fi. SATELLITE EXHIBITION "Stars of Africa": Hämeenlinna Art Museum. From 20 May to 11 September 2011. OMA – Oulu Museum of Art. From 24 September 2011 to 8 January 2012. Curators: Tuula Karjalainen, Ph.D., curator; Laurent Danchin, art critic, journalist, curator; * 2011. Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich
''Ghanaian 'fantasy coffin
27 September 2011 - 4 December 2011. Griff Rhys Jones. * 2010/11.

, Lausanne. One-man show ''Ataa Oko et les Esprits''. * 2006 and 2007/2008. Art Museum Berne and Hygienemuseum Dresden. Exposition ''Six Feet Under: Autopsy of Our Relation to the Dead ''.

Gallery

File:Drawing by Ataa Oko, 2009.jpg,

Figurative palanquin A figurative palanquin connected with the totem of its owner is a special kind of litter used in the Greater Accra Region in Ghana. These palanquins called in the Ga language belong to the royal insignias and are used only by the Ga kings or '' ...

, drawing of Ataa Oko 2009 File:Drawing by Ataa Oko, 2010.jpg, Spirits, drawing of Ataa Oko 2010 File:Drawing by Ataa Oko, 2010 Football World Cup.jpg, World cup, drawing of Ataa Oko 2010

Media

* 2021. Regula Tschumi (ed.): ''Ataa Oko Addo''. With text contributions by Sarah Lombardi,

Lucienne Peiry Lucienne Peiry, born in Lausanne on 4 September 1961, holds a doctorate (PhD) in the history of art; she is a specialist in Outsider Art ("Art Brut"), an exhibition curator, a lecturer and the author of several publications. She gives lectures in ...

, Regula Tschumi and

Atta Kwami Atta Kwami (14 September 1956 – 6 October 2021) was a Ghanaian painter, printmaker, independent art historian and curator. He was educated and taught at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana, and in the ...

, Edition Clandestin, Biel, . * 2017.

, ''The Flute of Ataa Oko,'' en: Outsider Art, Vol. 3, Shanghai University Press, p. 22-33, Anglais e Chinois. /J 399. * 2017. Regula Tschumi, ''Ataa Oko. A glimpse inside the amazing world of Ghanaian funerals and how the carpenter Ataa Oko became an artist,'' online magazine Interwoven: the fabric of things. * 2014. Regula Tschumi: ''Concealed Art. The figurative palanquins and coffins of Ghana.'' Edition Till Schaap, Berne. . * 2014. Regula Tschumi: ''The buried treasures of the Ga: Coffin art in Ghana.'' Edition Till Schaap, Bern. . A revised and updated second edition of "The buried treasures of the Ga", Bern: Benteli 2008. * 2013. Regula Tschumi "The Figurative Palanquins of the Ga. History and Significance", en: ''

African Arts African art describes the modern and historical paintings, sculptures, installations, and other visual culture from native or indigenous Africans and the African continent. The definition may also include the art of the African diasporas, su ...

'', Vol. 46, Nr. 4, 2013, pp. 60–73. * 2012/13. ''Hors-Champs.'' Ed. Musée d'Ethnographie Neuchâtel MEN. Neuchâtel: Atélier PréTexte, pp. 200–203, (français). * 2012. "Collection de l'Art Brut, Lausanne", Lucienne Peiry (ed.), Skira Flammarion 2012, pp. 26–27; 164. (français) * 2010. ''Ataa Oko''. Exhibition catalogue. ed.

. Gollion: Infolio. (français). * 2006. Regula Tschumi, "Last Respects, First Honoured. Ghanaian Burial Rituals and Figural Coffins" in: Kunstmuseum Bern (ed.), ''Six Feet Under. Autopsy of Our Relation to the Dead''. Ex.-Cat. Bielefeld, Leipzig: Kerber, pp. 114–125.

Film, video

* 2010
Ataa Oko and the spirits
Philippe Lespinasse, Regula Tschumi, Andress Alvarez. Lausanne/Le Tourne, Parti de l’Art Brut/ LoKomotiv Films, 20 minutes, (subtitled). * 2009. ''Sépulture sur mesure'', 52 minutes movie on the work of the Ga funerals, of the coffins of Ataa Oko Ado and

Eric Adjetey Anang Eric Adjetey Anang (; born 1985) is a Ghanaian sculptor and fantasy coffin carpenter. He was born in Teshie, Ghana and runs the Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop. He currently maintains dual residency and splits his time between Ghana and Madison, Wi ...

(

Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop The Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop is a studio established in Teshie, Ghana, since the 1950s. It is known for its design coffins that became symbolic of African artistic creativity. It featured the talents of several artists who would go on to gain ...

). Philippe Lespinasse, Grand Angle Production.

References

External links

www.regulatschumi.ch

Ataa Oko at the Collection de l'Art Brut
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oko, Ataa Coffins 1910s births 2012 deaths Ga-Adangbe people 20th-century Ghanaian sculptors 21st-century Ghanaian artists Ghanaian male artists Male sculptors 20th-century male artists 21st-century male artists