Kojo Marfo
Stories at the Table
by Alexa Bouhelier-Ruelle
As part of Chelsea Art Festival 2025, JD Malat Gallery presents a collaboration between Ghanaian-born, London-based artist Kojo Marfo and Chef Izu’s La Maison Ani. From September 8 to October 9, eight new paintings and a bronze sculpture were on view throughout the restaurant, inviting visitors to reflect on resilience, identity, and community.
“I grew up surrounded by people sculpting and carving, so art was always around me. But painting became my voice, a way to express myself and reflect on society,” Marfo recalls. A magazine image of a Picasso work first set him on his artistic path.
His Ghanaian heritage is at the core of his practice. “Without these cultural artifacts and lived moments, there would be no Kojo Marfo. They form the very foundation of my identity,” he explains. Through series like Strangers, inspired by fertility dolls, Marfo reinterprets African traditions to highlight cultural depth often missing in mainstream narratives.
Known for his layered, polychromatic compositions, he favours acrylic for its immediacy. “Its quick-drying nature lets me paint, erase, and repaint freely … mirroring the fleeting, ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ nature of human life.”
For the Chelsea project, Marfo adapted his approach to the restaurant setting: “I wanted to create pieces that could resonate with a wide range of visitors, blending naturally with the ambience while still carrying meaning.”
Food, like art, is for him a form of storytelling:
“Food is art — intimate, ephemeral, and impossible to perfect. At the heart of my practice is storytelling, and in this setting I hope my artworks spark quiet dialogues: between viewer and canvas, diner and meal, story on the wall and story at the table.”
Ultimately, Marfo hopes audiences will recognise something of themselves in his work:
“Each piece carries human stories … I want viewers to realise that our experiences, joys, and concerns are shared.”
For Marfo, this collaboration brings his art back to its roots. “It has returned my art to its natural home, a space where stories unfold, where human experiences are shared, and where connection happens.”
Words by Alexa Bouhelier-Ruelle
Photos provided by JD Malat Gallery
