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Chris Folie Setsoafia

@chris_folie21

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Eʋe Bamboo Artist
Within my practice, I use bamboo & painting as sculptural assemblage to navigate Eʋe indigenous building systems and rituals.

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How my Art has encouraged my connection to my Eʋe heritage?

Interviewer: Sitsofe @sitsofewellness Founder of @theart_ofafrica

#indigenous #bambooart #contemporaryafricanart #ghanaian #architecture taken in Accra, Ghana by @chris_folie21

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4 hours ago

Making something from “nothing” is something I will never take for granted. “M.anifest”

Beyond this bamboo installation is the structure that called me home. The structure that informs my practice as an artist. It is not just any random structure holding the bamboo installation. It is my Grandma’s house which was built from indigenous materials including bamboo over 50 years ago.

I grew up carrying shame and embarrassment for this building as it didn’t look like all the other structures we were surrounded by.

So when I got the revelation for the journey I’m currently on, the sacredness of it had to reflect on this building as a bold statement of pride and also to honour the wisdom that exists within the materials and the land at large.

So I built this community altar as a way of reminding myself and the entire community of what it means to live in wealth and abundance yet still looking for validation outside.

I AM THE BAMBOO ARTIST!

Music - Nku by @enammusic__

#bamboo #bambooartist #indigenous #ancestral #heritage taken in Tsito, Volta, Ghana by @chris_folie21

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3 days ago

I AM THE BAMBOO ARTIST.

There’s not much to say about these.
Let the works sink in and share the wisdom that is revealed to you afterwards.

Music Nku by @enammusic__

#bambooart #contemporaryart #thebambooartist #indigenousknowledge #eweland🇧🇯🇬🇭🇹🇬 taken in Somewhere in Africa by @chris_folie21

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4 days ago

I want to talk a little about my medium and some notions around it.

My choice of medium is not random. I don’t work with bamboo just as a surface to paint on, it embodies the work.

The work is built from - harvesting or collecting, processing and treatment - converting them into irregular sizes - selecting them individually for assembling - priming - painting - treatment - varnishing.

And so you will realise that even the painting is not the last stage of the work so why box the outcome to the painting?

A lot of what I’m interested in comes from the environments I grew up in - the buildings, the settlements, the land and the way people make things with what is available to them.
Also most importantly, the rituals that kept the spirits alive.

So I’m not trying to hide the bamboo and make it behave like a canvas however, I’m allowing the material and the process to speak alongside the painting.

I also want you to know that, because these pieces are made at this point in my practice, they are also a record of where I’m coming from and where I’m going so if you connect with one, I would be happy for you to know the story behind it.
I AM THE BAMBOO ARTIST!

Video shot by Divine Allotey @odishyee32
Interviewer: Sitsofe Attah @sitsofewellness

#contemporaryart #bambooart #eweland🇧🇯🇬🇭🇹🇬 #indigenous #africanart taken in University of ghana School of Performing arts by @chris_folie21

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8 days ago

As he spoke I was being inspired…

A great masterpiece

Never have I seen this

Thanks so much at @chris_folie21 taken in Legon Campus by @chris_folie21

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8 days ago

You are all invited to The Heritage Theatre Arts Festival happening now till Friday at the University of Ghana.

Come let’s connect in person.

Giving thanks to @nicowayo for putting me on. We’re live 🔥🔥🔥

#indigenous #bambooart #contemporaryart #eweland #africanart taken in University of Ghana by @chris_folie21

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10 days ago

Just the other day while I was finishing up this work, my Grandma came by and shared some words with me that l will not forget.

She talked about the path that I am on as being a whole new version of generational wealth which younger generations will benefit from one day.

That hit me differently not just because of those words but also because of the one it was coming from - someone who has witnessed the world for ages.

I am only trying to pay attention to what I grew up seeing and also to extend that understanding to others like me.
Most important among all is our buildings, our land, our ways of making, our stories - things our grandparents knew without needing to write them down.

Maybe this is why I keep coming back to my roots. Not just to paint but to remember and to make sure somebody after me can still see where we came from.

#indigenous #contemporaryart #eweland #africanart #chrisfolie taken in Somewhere in Africa by @chris_folie21

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12 days ago

Why I used bamboo to restabilise or rebuild structure in the wisdom embedded in our local occupations which we have abandoned for years due to residues of neocolonialism.

Credits: @xetoto_arts_festival

#local #bambooart #contemporaryart #eweland🇧🇯🇬🇭🇹🇬 #indigenous taken in Somewhere in Africa by @chris_folie21

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13 days ago

I AM THE BAMBOO ARTIST.

How do we see beyond the cycle of familiarity in the Arts?

Bamboo is the underpinning element of my art but what form of art do I practice?

Why the unfamiliar and why the familiar?

I really enjoy this journey but it can be quite challenging sometimes not just with the financial constraints but also the need to be able to convince my own why some of my representations are not as reflective of what we are taught.
I was very excited those I had to open to this perspective were students and they will be graduating soon and teaching other young people like I did with them. At least the Art chain continues and a see has been planted.

Credits to @xetoto_arts_festival

#bambooart #contemporaryart #eweland🇧🇯🇬🇭🇹🇬 #heritage #indigenous taken in Somewhere in Africa by @chris_folie21

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15 days ago

Hogbetsostso is around the corner oooo my people and Xetoto Art Foundation has been cooking something special behind closed doors.

We’re talking about the Kéta Heritage wall - a 300m long mural project aimed at creating a public museum that will allow for easy access to our culture through the arts.

I am happy to be part of this project as it’s been part of my own individual journey.

The phase one has ended and we’re warming up for the phase 2.

If you’d like to support this project in any way, please get in touch with Xetoto Arts Foundation @xetoto_arts_festival

Video shot and edited by @allnice249_

Aza loooooooo

#bambooart #contemporaryart #heritage #eweland🇧🇯🇬🇭🇹🇬 taken in Keta, Volta, Ghana by @chris_folie21

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17 days ago

I AM THE BAMBOO ARTIST!

Keta opened the colours in me when I had to think through the vibrant colours that holds our market spaces.

The section of the project that I took charge of focuses on our local Ewe occupations that sustained us over the years.

This is just a bit of the process video. I am going to share more details about this project in my upcoming videos.

Indeed this was a return to source for me.

Big ups to @Xetoto Arts Festival/Foundatn for putting me on.

Give thanks to Elorm, Dela & Andy, the amazing young artist who worked beside throughout the project.

#keta #eweland🇧🇯🇬🇭🇹🇬 #bambooart #heritage #contemporaryafricanart taken in Keta, Volta, Ghana by @chris_folie21

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19 days ago

I wouldn’t be satisfied if I posted the finished work as though I did it all by myself without crediting the ancestors who helped me.

I was joined by my niece and nephew during the creation process, starting from cutting and prepping the bamboos to the finishing.

This piece and the whole experience is a testament to the superpowers that are with us - the younger generations and also our reincarnations.

This piece is titled The Frontyard. It is a reverse version of The Backyard which I shared about 2 months ago.
I will be sharing my breakdown as usual in the coming days.

Meanwhile it is FOR SALE!
You can message me directly if you’re interested.

Love you all Folie-wers. 😍

#bambooart #indigenous #contemporaryafricanart #youthempowerment #ancestry taken in Somewhere in Africa by @chris_folie21

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20 days ago