Felix Adumatta Donkor goes on African-Art Exhibition in Germany
Felix Adumatta Donkor is a Ghanaian born German-based artist popularly referred to as .kojo
Felix Adumatta Donkor is a Ghanaian fine artist based in Berlin Germany who is preparing to go on tour across Germany from September 15-20, 2015 to exhibit his artworks. The debate on religious objects and historical works of art from West Africa forms the basis for the tour of the artist who is popularly known as .kojo.
One of the many goals of .kojo’s work is to bring back the dignity of the deceased to obscure the individuality of their contemporaries. .kojo’s work will be out for viewing during the Berlin Art Week in September 2015 at six exhibition points.
His collages behind milky glass connect the Current with the Historical, anonymity with individuality, and are an expression of .kojo’s personal confrontation with his Ghanaian home from the Diaspora perspective. The idea for .kojo’s style of artistic expression began with the research on the backgrounds of many existing masks of deceased monarchs in West and Central Africa.
In his own words .kojo says: “There are all sorts of masks and sculptures of kings and queens whose lives or personal achievements are no longer comprehensible today and therefore forgotten. Realizing this, I started to think about the idea to symbolically hide contemporary chiefs behind the wooden masks or sculpture heads, to give the masks a body and to restore the dignity of the deceased kings and queens.”
“In order to express the degree of the unfamiliarity of the protagonists, I opted for milky glass: This is how the external appearances stay as incomprehensible as the personal stories behind the masks.” .kojo explains. So the blurry look is intentional due to the milky nature of the glass.
This year’s project is an attempt to present contemporary African art and works from the African Diaspora in Berlin, to start the conversation on cultural dialogue.
TIMELINE OF .kojo’s LIFE
1989 — Born in Accra, Ghana
1995 — Traveled to Germany
2010 — Took his Abitur (A Levels) in Berlin-Steglitz, Germany
2010 — 2012 Studied Architecture at BTU in Cottbus; the second largest university and the only University of Technology in the Federal State of Brandenburg in Germany
2013 — present: studying African Art History at FU (Freie Universität) in Berlin; one of Germany’s leading research institution
Why is .kojo so passionate about Art?
“Art for me is ‘life‘ lived. The essence of Godly creation. Art does not ask for the meaning of existence. It does not try to debunk the mystery of life. In contrary, it tries in a subtle and naive way to make it visible. Art is not possessive.”
“It is indecisive, unbendable and misunderstood. Art is a rebel to any form of reign or rule, a critic to every society, guardian of the past, a portrait of the presence, a prospect of the future and a role model to every culture on planet earth.
Art is, what it is… ART IS HUMAN, HUMAN IS ART says .kojo in attempt to explain the philosophy behind his art.
Dates and venues of the 2015 German tour
(1) Invalidenpark | 15. September 18:00 to 0:00 o’clock
(2) Friedrichsbrücke (Alte Nationalgalerie)| 16. September 2015 18:00 to 0:00 o’clock
(3) Reinhardtstr. (opposite) | 17. September 18:00 to Midnight
(4) Bebelplatz | 18. September 2015 18:00 to 0:00 o’clock
(5) Savignyplatz | 19. September 18:00 to 0:00 o’clock
(6) Bebelplatz | 20. September 2015 18:00 to 0:00 o’clock
The artist who is planning on a future Ghana and Africa tour says he loves music a lot, especially old highlife songs from Ghana. Even though he has an eclectic eardrum, if he were forced to pick his favorite musicians, they will be Ghana’s maestro Kojo Antwi and the American songstress Lauryn Hill.
Note: there will be no event if it rains on any of the above dates. Find out more about .kojo and his works at his studio; Adumatta Art Galerie located in Emdener Str. 41 10551 Berlin, Germany. Also, visit his website for more information.

Editing by Oral Ofori, story by Agnesa Schmudke
Oral Ofori is Founder and Publisher at www.TheAfricanDream.net, a digital storyteller and producer, and also an information and research consultant.
