CREATIVE FACTORY ✍🏼🖼

LOMBARDI

Guilherme Lombardi is a Brazilian visual and art director born in Brazil in 1987. Guilherme self discovered his love for arts at age 11 when he realized how enthusiastic he was about his art classes.

Campaign for @foxtonbrasil with @alexxxchuna and @efirocha

With a degree in fashion design but best known for his work as an art director,he believes an image speaks much more than a text. Drawing inspiration from nature and the things around him,he transforms every captured image into something grand.

Lookbook for @foxtonbrasil s/s23 with @efirocha

Lombardi has had two exhibitions,the very first one which dates back to 2007 was a group exhibition with other artists and was titled “one who doesn’t like music is grimace”, this title was derived from the inspiration they got from music and how it influences their visual language and aesthetic designs. His second exhibition held at the University of Fine Arts in São Paulo in 2016 was a compilation of his works.

Campaign out for @lojasrenner with @efirocha @laisscolaro and @gonn.mari

New campaign for @lojasrenner with @laisscolaro and @gonn.mari

Lombardi wishes to explore and have an international career within the next five years as he’s keen on showing the works that those of them from the southern part of the world have many unique talents,as they can even do a lot with very little provided they’re given the opportunity.

He seeks to awaken positivity and hope in people both in his country and beyond because he believes “ the world doesn’t need more negativity than what already exists in it”.

Art direction and graphic design for @theokmagazine with @josanasantoss

LINESBEING

Eric Odartey Cruikshank is a Ghanaian expressionist born in Accra in March,2000.Currently studying industrial arts;studio practice and commercial arts at the Takoradi Technical university.

Eric discovered his passion for arts at a very tender age but fully got into it at age 12 and started experimenting with realistic portrait drawing,by age 20 Eric found himself breaking some of the norms in art while creating his own unique style.

To him,expressionism is his way of being authentic and a means through which he expresses himself without hesitation.”Art is a culture and I’m confident in sharing my culture through painting and sculpture”,says Eric.

Amoako Boafo ,Kerry James Marshall and neighbors who are positively impacting lives are some of the people who inspire Eric’s creativity and visual language.

Having participated in six exhibitions,he looks forward to having most of his works exhibited globally and is also working towards adding his quota to the creative space.

Eric wants his viewers to resonate with his works and see them as therapeutic objects and not just another piece of art,this is one of the major reasons why he’s constantly working towards having his works documented and exhibited in galleries and museums all around the world and even looks forward to seeing his works exhibited alongside some of his mentors.

According to Eric,he seeks to use his work as a tool to motivate and elevate the hopeless in the environment he comes from because he has seen and experienced their downfalls,neglections,state of hopelessness and will like to draw their attention to the fact that there’s always “light at the end of the tunnel”.

MAN LIKE AGBAJE

Julius Agbaje is a Nigerian contemporary artist born in September 1992 at Agege,Lagos.

He pursued an arts related course but began drawing between the tender ages of 4 to 5 years.

He believes art is where he finds the best expressions to describe,express and elaborate things,drawing inspiration from God and nature,his works speak volume at first glance.

He has had a number of exhibitions in Nigeria and at least five internationally with the most recent one organized by The Artists Commune and held at One Art Gallery in Lagos.

Julius isn’t one who likes to get ahead of himself but instead aligns himself with the will of God and allows God to do His thing by letting the plans of God concerning his life come to pass.

Instead of creating works people will like to see,he rather positions himself as a vessel of God who births the accurate vision of God into every stroke,down to the tinniest details on each canvas.

So his works aren’t just breathtaking,they cause you to have thought provoking conversation with yourself.

THE ANNABELLE OBIRI

Annabelle Obiri is a creative consultant and the founder of Trybe. Born in April 1989,she’s played and continues to play a vital role in the creative industry,simply put,Belle is a force to reckon with.

Film is her favorite form of art,followed by photography,she’s been taking photos since she was about 15 years ,documenting any and every single thing but most importantly she has always loved acting.

Belle at Ada Accra standing in front of two pieces by Samuel Olayombo

She believes she has always had the creative eye and has always been interested in storytelling and visuals.She studied languages;German and Portuguese.

Trybe started as an idea in 2020 during the covid period but was birth in August 2021. It was founded to help and support creatives in Africa but with emphasis on Ghana as it so happened that most of the creatives in Ghana that need support are visual artists and Trybe is mostly known for that;art.

Belle in front of pieces by Sarfo at Trybe Africa’s Thursday Lates

Belle has always been that person people came to when they’re looking for a creative so she mostly got questions like “Annabelle do you know a good photographer,a good graphic designer,director,a set designer?”. This led to her decision on the creation of a marketplace that’ll connect high-quality creatives and people looking to work with them. While researching,she realized there were lots of issues and challenges on the continent and concluded Trybe would become a platform to solve these issues.Everything Trybe does is a solution to a problem.

Kwame Acheampong’s exhibition at Thursday Lates

Trybe seeks to enrich,improve and ease the life of African creatives and those looking to work with them.They do this by curating and sharing weekly opportunities,offering visual artists opportunities to share and sell their work at their exhibitions,sharing tips,advice and tools on their socials. Seven artists from Ghana,Nigeria and Liberia have exhibited at Thursday Lates held at Kukun Ghana.

Belle with Dela Quarshie at his Thursday Lates exhibition

Belle with Worlasi and the British high commissioner at his Thursday Lates exhibition

Thursday Lates is for all types of visual artists but right now the focus is on painters and photographers,the criteria for artists looking forward to exhibiting with Trybe are emerging artists with one to five years of experience,artists who haven’t exhibited before or have exhibited in group shows or have only exhibited once or twice ,artists who haven’t sold most of or any of their works and artists who are actively creating and are confident about their work.

Belle sees herself and her team having more presence in Nigeria and East Africa,having a fund or multiple funds to support creatives of different disciplines,having physical spaces across Africa where creatives can work,curating more creative events ,collaborating with other creative organizations and individuals to help meet their business objectives.

Art lovers contributing to Dela Quarshie’s piece at his Thursday Lates exhibition

In the end ,Belle wants to be known as a person that’s helping to make the lives of creatives easier,better and more fulfilling.She wants to make impact and change lives.

Abdul(founder of Afrochella) and Elle Lokko(founder of Elle Lokko) at Thursday Lates

Trybe’s interesting and interactive Instagram account

Belle sitting pretty in front of a piece at Ada Contemporary Art Gallery

THE WANDE OSENI

Wande Oseni is a Nigerian born Lagos based artist whose works are heavily centered around beauty,radiance and the various roles women play in transforming and impacting the world.

Between age 11 to 17,Wande self discovered her intense passion for arts and experimented with different styles and mediums till she found one that resonated with her.

“CHIC HAPPENS”
Image sourced from Instagram

Her source of inspiration is very vast as she’s inspired by things happening around her,other artists and works from other creatives irrespective of the mediums .

Oseni has had about five exhibitions including both virtual and physical ones,these help her appreciate her practice more as she sees herself and her works evolving and adding her quota to the impact women have in the arts ecosystem and the world at large.

“WHAT TO DO”
Image sourced from Instagram

“DAUNTLESS”
Image sourced from Instagram

Whenever anyone comes into contact her works ,she wants them to understand the thoughts behind them,feel the emotional message captured within the artwork,relate with the piece and have their own perspective based on what they’re viewing.

“RED SUITS YOU”
Image sourced from Instagram

“SWANKY PINK”
Image sourced from Instagram

Wande wants her works to share knowledge,foster intelligent discussions and convey messages of radiance and beauty because she gives her all when working on each piece no matter how simple or intricate it may look.

“HOME ALONE”
Image sourced from Instagram

BIGIRIMANA

Anna Bigirimana known in the creative space as Anna Niyukuri is an Oslo based artist born in Burundi in the year 1993.

Ever since she could remember,she has always loved to draw but officially started experimenting on a canvas in 2020. Aside junior and senior high school,she didn’t specialize in any arts related course.

The need to represent the culture she identifies with while adding versatility to the rich African heritage is what she portrays with her works.Each piece tells stories and act as the voice of the minority but in a playful and artistic way.

The works Anna creates are pieces people can easily relate to and even integrate in their homes because they come with mild colors but have very bold backgrounds making it easy to normalize minimalism.

She’s inspired by her life,the people around her,Ronald Jackson and daily activities.Doubling as a social worker who cares for adults and people with mental retardation is something she absentmindedly draws inspiration from as well.

Looking forward to more exhibitions,she had her debut solo exhibition on 16th September,2022 in Oslo and it was definitely worth the wait.Taking over the art space and leading the pack while telling relatable stories with each piece is where she sees herself five years from now.

To Anna,art goes beyond the word,it’s a place she can fully express herself and as cliché as this may sound,she sees art as a place she can fail yet raise again,a place to go all out while staying true to one’s self.

If anything she hopes anyone who comes into contact with her works will feel at peace and have a sense of belonging.

THE SURREALIST

Festus Alagbe a Nigerian surrealist born in Oyo state in the early 90’s is an artist who fell in love with arts at a very tender age.

Growing up in a very creative environment,he was determined to take his dreams to the next level in order to see them materialize,this led to his study at the polytechnic in Ibadan,specifically the department of arts and design were he majored in painting.

Festus literally steals the attention of his viewers with his intriguing and captivating paintings and compels them to think deep and travel back into their imaginations in order to capture the true essence of the work before them.

He paints surreal moments to strike a balance between realism and fantasy from an African perspective while drawing inspiration from God,family,his environment,works from artists like Rene Magritte,Vyes Tanguy and Salvador Dali.

He sees himself getting to the peak of his career and going as far as being a point of reference to artists and the society at large.

With most of his works addressing personal and societal issues,he wishes anyone who views them to easily relate with ,learn from and appreciate them.

Festus was one of five artists who participated in the 2022 “Free Spirit” group exhibition in London organized by Chilli Art Project.

STEAZE™️

Charles Agyapong popularly known in the creative space as MAJIK(a name he earned over the years due to the numerous creative skills he’s got under his belt) is a Ghanaian born and raised multi disciplinary artist who looks forward to changing the narrative in the creative space with emphasis on the fashion industry and has since worked earnestly towards the manifestation of that dream.

Charles Agyapong rocking a STEAZE™️ piece
Photographed by Charles Rufus
Directed/Styled by Charles Agyapong

His hardworking and persistent nature led to the birth of STEAZE™️,a brand name that emanated from a popular “pidgin” phrase which simply means something exciting or a person’s distinctive and attractive style of dressing.

Sina Jena for STEAZE™️
Photographed by Charles Rufus
Directed/Styled by Charles Agyapong

STEAZE™️ seeks to bring street wear to consumers in a unique style with ease,looking fashionable and classy without taking away one’s natural vibe.

“MADE IN STYLE” a 2022 collection from the brand is quickly making waves as a lot of people have jumped on it due to it’s comfortable,attractive and ready to wear vibe.

Akosua Serwaa in a MADE IN STYLE piece Photographed by Charles Rufus
Directed/Styled by Charles Agyapong

The “Made In Style” collection was influenced by the creative yet unrecognized people in the society,those who are doing amazingly well yet never get pushed or encouraged to chase and achieve their dreams.This is the reason why every single piece from the collection has words of encouragement,words to boost one’s energy and keep hope alive.

Kingsley Fafa for Made In Style
Photographed by Charles Rufus
Directed/Styled by Charles Agyapong

Akosua Serwaa for Made In Style
Photographed by Charles Rufus
Directed/Styled by Charles Agyapong

Charles never gives up,his believes,Pharrell Williams,Virgil Ablorh,Jerry Lorenzo,Datartgod,Kelvin Boakye and other creative people around him fuel his passion and keep inspiring him.

Charles is steadily putting in work in order to see his brand take over the fashion industry in the next 3 to 5 years,make pieces available and accessible to everyone across the globe and have flagship stores worldwide.

Charles Agyapong for Made In Style
Photographed by Charles Rufus
Directed/Styled by Charles Agyapong

Each time you see or wear anything from the STEAZE™️ brand ,let it remind you that your dreams are achievable and you deserve to be celebrated. You are #MadeInStyle.

THE MAKO TOUCH

Zechariah Mako Akolam is a Ghanaian fashion designer born in 1999 at Tarkwa in the Western Region but hails from Navrongo in the Upper East Region.

Mako got exposed to arts at a very tender age as he watched his mother cut and sew colorful pieces while his uncle and grandfather mixed two or more colors when painting. As a result he fell in love with arts without realizing.

He studied General Arts and had General Knowledge in Arts(GKA) as one of his electives in Senior High School. Upon completion,he had to wait a few years before furthering his education and that was when he decided to try his hands on something,fashion did it for him.

Mako wanted something unique and exquisite because he realized the mainstream styles had little or no African representation to it.This vision saw the birth of “Koffi Maako”,a fashion brand changing the narrative and telling the African story in it’s authentic self.

Camidoh in a Koffi Maako outfit
Image sourced from Instagram

Fameye in a Koffi Maako outfit
Image sourced from Instagram

Zechariah in a Koffi Maako top standing by a Naila Opiangah piece at Gallery 1957(Kempinski)
Image sourced from Instagram

A Koffi Maako two piece
Image sourced from Instagram

Everything around him inspires him but he inspires himself the most because he feels he’s the only one who knows his strength and capabilities so he always strives to do better each passing day.

Mako sees himself and his works reaching every corner in this world and still telling rich,interesting,authentic and exciting African stories through each design he makes because there are endless stories to be seen and heard.

Models in Koffi Maako pieces
Image sourced from Instagram

He wants everyone who comes into contact with his designs to see the “Africanness” and originality it carries. If anything he wants people to realize and appreciate the incredible cultures we have in Africa and see the beauty in them so they can fully embrace it for what it is and what it has to offer.

Mako is willing to “die” for his works and anything he holds dear because he knows it’s worth and values it.

A designer in his own design
Image sourced from Instagram

KWAME WRITE

Kwame Aidoo who goes by “Kwame Write” is a Ghanaian born writer,artist and biochemist whose works explore the use of African oral,polyrhythmic,visual,scientific and archival materials to digest historic layers and engage sociopolitical contexts.

He is a member of the Paris based band “Break Ya Bones”,founder and director of Nkabom literary arts festival,Portals of Ghana architectural archive,Buzanga Books library project,Slam Ghana inter-school poetry project and Kpaluhi Centre for weaving.

Kwame is the author of Ananse Makes Aurora (Enostone Kustannus ,2021). He has performed and exhibited at Nkabom-Accra(2017-2019),Manifesta 12-Palermo(2018),Perm Arts-Berlin(2017-2018),Nasjonalmuseet-Oslo(2016),FLUUP-Rio(2015) and festivals in Ouagadougou,Lomé,Lisbon,Madrid,Prague,Paris,Copenhagen,Helsinki, among others.

Ananse Makes Aurora
Image sourced from Instagram

Kwame performing in Berlin
Image sourced from Instagram

Highlife music ,Afro beat rhythms and poetic works from legends like E.T Mensah,Kofi Awoonor,Kofi Anyidoho,Kwesi Brew,Ebo Taylor,A.B Crenstil,Alhaji K.Frimpong,George Darko ,J.A Adofo,Awurama Badu and the likes are just but a few of the things Kwame draws inspiration from.

Kwame’s burning desire was sparked when he came across writings of Binyavanga Wainaina ,Saul Williams and Ayi Kwei Armah.

The current stream of youthful creative energies in Ghana and beyond ,speaking truth to power and availing institutions from the ground up are some of the things that fuel his passion.

He travels within Ghana and work with the local community in agriculture and independent research areas ,where influences sourced from weaving,design and architecture traditions enlighten him the most.

Profoundly,the main source of inspiration for him is from working with and learning from children.