A studio visit of contemporary Ghanaian artist Seth Clottey......by Indian visual artist Manisha Vedpathak

 

I was glad to have a second chance to visit Ghana in November 2022. I had been there before Covid and had done a few studio visits of Ghanaian eminent artists and as always intrigued with the workspaces of artists, had planned to do the same this time as well, along with other activities.  November and December were a complete art treat for me as there were many exhibitions taking place in the city of Accra, the capital of Ghana. Met old artist friends and met some new artists as well.

This time in my list was the studio of eminent artist Seth Clottey, a distinguished name on the Ghanaian art-scene.  I never had a chance to meet him personally during my stay in Ghana but had always felt that he has an aura of authority, superiority and positivity related to art. I felt this aura even when I called him to fix an appointment to visit his studio.

 A dynamic Ghanaian artist, Seth Clottey has been prominent in the art world of Ghana for over two decades. He was born in 1960 in Accra where he currently lives and works. He obtained his diploma in arts at the Ghanatta college of Arts in Accra.

His paintings are vibrant and shows his commitment to a wide range of subjects, from market scenes, through beach scenes, city-scapes. As an artist, he has truly made a significant contribution to art, always demonstrating an unwillingness to copy the popularism or settle for the mundane. Seth's strength is in his quiet disposition and beneath his urbane exterior are a passion and commitment which are seldom evident in artists of younger generation.  Seth is charting for himself and his generation, new challenging standards marking him out as a leading catalyst in the current art world. He also has a fondness in sculpture, which he sculpts himself with eagerness just like his paintings.

His son Serge Attuquaye Clottey, a talented artist is making a name for himself at home and abroad. His daughter is also learning art under his own guidance. Seth Clottey has held a number of exhibitions in Ghana as well as outside Ghana and has taken part in a few shows for various charities. His works can be found in private and corporate collections across Ghana, UK, Europe and USA. 

His studio is based in mountains in Nsawam, an hour and a half drive from Accra. A two storey building, studio and family house are situated upstairs whereas he has created space for residency downstairs. Lovely green area with perfect atmosphere for residency, I must say. He also has an outdoor place like a balcony from where one can have a good view of Nsawam though it will be blocked in a few years with the construction happening there.

Seth Sir is a very gentle, refreshingly quiet and has a very deep voice. The studio was full of vibrant paintings though he says most of them are taken away as soon as they are completed. I was also greeted by his lovely daughter Naa Anyemah, who is entering the art field under his guidance. We had such a friendly talk starting from his art journey to the art scene in Ghana.

Thank you, Sir, for the precious time. To begin with, I would like to know about your art journey right from the beginning.

 I had just finished the school when my father passed away leaving 7 children behind him. Immediately all the pressure was on me as I had to take care of my siblings. I was good at art so I decided to pursue art and meanwhile started taking jobs to make money. I pursued an 18 months course called OIC Opportunity Industrialisation Centre in Accra. I remember our first lesson was constructing letters which I picked well and started taking Saturday jobs doing signs for people. The course followed job training for 3 months and I decided that I want to go deeper into art. I enrolled into a course of 3 years in Ghanatta Arts School which no longer exists now. After completion of the course, I stayed back for 1 more year to teach the other classes. One of my classmates of Nigerian origin who was also into art invited me to help him with a job. I stayed there for some time but I needed to come back. But he found a job for me to work with Secretary of Business. I did all kinds of jobs apart from Graphics job for a couple of years but I wasn’t satisfied. I had an urge to come back to my art. Some geniuses from the teaching school encouraged me to take this decision and I moved back to my studio. I have been working till date.

I am very curious to know how you developed your style.

Coming back to the art world, I realized that you need to identify yourself with your work. It took some time; I had couple of shows and was trying all possible ways. In the process I realized what people like about my work and I focused on that area. That is where I developed the technique and my style. Since then, I am stuck to it. I remember, in one of my major shows I did a couple of different styles but Prof. Glover of Artist Alliance Gallery advised me to work in one direction which helped me a lot in future. So, I can say that he actually helped me develop my style. I work in impressionism style. I am not interested in realistic.

You mentioned earlier that some teachers influenced you to come back into the art world, are there any other artists who has influenced you in your journey?                                                                    I had a friend, who was also my classmate and an artist, Samuel Adoquei, now based in New York. When we were doing course together, we all used to say that he can do no job better than art. Most of the time I use to watch him doing art. The comfort, the freedom in the work made me stick to him. He has influenced me a lot. We were friends and we used to discuss art most of the time. We started from school and our friendship has grown till this stage.

When you are in a certain form, the references are looked for. Did you ever look for the reference outside the art world?                                                                                                                        There are a lot of references. When growing up, I was very fond of magazines and comics, had a lot of them. The illustrators of these magazines have influenced me to a great extent. Music is a part of my life as an artist. The rhythm actually leads the painting. It fuels my work.

How will you describe the subject matter of your works?                                                                 My subject matter is derived from daily life. Initially, I use to get inspired from the pictures I took  on my camera but growing up I realized that my art is sharper than the camera. So, whenever I move around and find something striking, I record it in my memory and back in my studio I start working from the memory depending on the subject.

Many artists do the sketching on the spot when they are out or they do it before starting a painting. Do you also sketch?                                                                                                                    I work directly with the knife. Over the years I have realized that sketching before restricts your work. I see the knife as my weapon and the canvas as my enemy. Whenever I see my enemy, I want to cut it down with my knife and put up my impressionism style on it. So, everything is recorded in my mind.

Do you always visit places to record the scenes that you want to paint?                                          No, I don’t do that. Over the years I have studied all the markets at different places. If you look at West Africa, the setup of the market is almost the same everywhere. If I am doing a market scene and I know the area, I just capture a little bit of that area and then I add my own interpretation to it. This is the way I work unless I have been given a commission work of a specific area. But even then, I should be allowed to work the way I feel. I don’t like copying, art should be original, it should look similar, not exactly like a photocopy.

We are moving towards your work process. Can you please share it with us?                                    

I would like to give an example. I had a friend over and we were talking about the market; the trouble and challenges in the market. Whilst she was talking, I was reading her mind. I immediately got hold of an empty canvas and created a market scene on it, the movement, the hustle and bustle in the market. I also added my friend to it. It is not complete yet as she had to leave but I promised her whenever she comes back, I would continue with this canvas.

When you start any new canvas, do you underpaint the canvas, may be 2/3 layers or more before you actually start painting.

Yes, I make sure to prepare the backgrounds well. I like painting on the dark background. Then I start painting with a knife. When a wider area of the background is to be covered, a brush is used and then I come back again to the knives.

Do you work on multiple canvases simultaneously and do you work in series?

Yes, I work in series. The first work leads to the second one. When I finish the first work, something strikes me out, I then pick a little portion and develop it into another work. By the time I finish second one, the same thing happens and I develop a 3^rd one. So, one leads into another.

Ok, so you build canvases one after another, but you have a big studio. If you get commission work, do you work on multiple canvases at the same time?

If I get a commission work, I paint 3 or more canvases at the same time. I make sure that first I do what I am asked to do and then interpret in my own way on the next canvas. So, when I do a commission work, I always have an extra canvas painted which has my own interpretation. The more you do, the better it turns out. Most of the time, the client ends up in buying all the pieces.

  

You are a studio-based artist, how much time do you spend in the studio?

I do like outdoors. When I am out, I quickly do something small and back in the studio I transfer it on a bigger canvas. I feel outdoors challenging with the chaos around, people passing by. But I make sure to get the subject in own interpretation. I can spend the whole day in the studio. Even months without going out. I work in the garden that we have, plant something if I have to, freshen up and work in the studio throughout the day, this is my normal routine. But if have a commission work, I cannot sleep. I am not at peace till the work is done.

People of your generation have worked hard with such dedication. Your son is also in the art field and he is making his name in Ghana as well as abroad. I would like to hear your thoughts on this young generation.

When we started as an artist, there were no places where we can sell our art and survive. In the early days of my career, when I was painting at a friend’s house, the whole house was full of canvases. All I use to do was, wakeup and paint. In spite of him saying there is no place to sell your canvases, I use to paint as I loved painting.                                                                                                                                So, I think that we have created a platform for Ghanaian art. We made the industry vibrant. My worry is that some of the young ones cannot do the original works, they all are doing the same style of work. I don’t know if that is the trend, our history book tells us that art is a trend. If you want to last forever, you need to identify yourself and people will know you. But if you follow the trend, it is just passing by. You follow it for 10-15 years and then it is dead. I hardly understand them, it may help them now but not in future. You have to abandon what you are doing if you can’t survive on that. That is not my idea, if I am no longer there, my work should still be relevant to the society or my collectors. So, the young ones must do the art that long last. 

I feel that many young ones are into installation nowadays. What are your thoughts on that?

Installation had been there for a long time but awareness has been created now. I think it’s a big business, people are getting into that. I don’t get why everybody nowadays paints black with red mouth etc. I think it is the trend of the youth and since they are making money out of it, they are following this trend. Looking at the economy of Ghana, if people are buying this art, then why not? In my case, I want my art to last long even when I am not there. In future, somebody may want to research on my works, try to find how I developed the technique etc. I have read about Michelangelo, Picasso and other great Legends. They were on a mission. That’s why their works are standing tall till date.

Do you think the young ones may be thinking that so much has been done in art till now, what is new to be done?

I think what they are doing, has been done before. The whole thing is like a rotation, it goes and then come back like in the fashion industry. It was done before and now its back again. But I want my paintings to last, to be cherished.

How is the art scene in Ghana right now?

It has been developed but without any support from the government. Whatever is done, is done by the artists themselves. Right now, the art scene is a bit down. Some years ago, it was so good that you show a painting in the gallery and the next day it was sold. But this time is quite challenging.

Do you think its because of the pandemic?

 Pandemic was a huge blow everywhere in the world. Art market went down. I use to work a lot. Clients would come to my studio and take away everything and I had to restart again. But there is less pressure now.

Where is your collective base?

I have works all around in Ghana. One of my clients named Michelle, who is an art dealer and has a gallery in Benin, has exposed my works everywhere. He would collect everything from my studio even before I could display them. He visits my studio every month. In fact, he kept me working for so many years and spread my works all over the world.

What are your thoughts on local buyers’ market?

People get to know me outside first and then in Ghana. Some years ago, Prof. Glover of Artist Alliance Gallery came looking for me when he saw some of my works in one of the galleries and asked me to exhibit in his gallery. It took me 2 years to complete 200 works for that exhibition.

Ok, but this is about one individual, in general how is the local buyer’s market?

I think its good. People do collect my works. They are in the Parliament house, some hotels and banks.

Do you think Ghana has enough infrastructure to support the talent that is produced here?

When we started art, there was no place to show our works. The Ambassador hotel which is now Moven Pick hotel, had an outer space where artists use to sell their works. But now things are changed, there are galleries here and there. Some organisations have come up who curate the shows at various places. We also have social media where artists sell their works.

I read about you being a member of GAVA , Ghana Association of visual Arts. Can you tell us more about it?

I was a member but due to health issues its difficult to go out and meet people. I try to stay away and abide to my doctor.

   

You mentioned that you have space for residency here. What are your thoughts on Art Residencies?

There is a place I created for the artists to come and stay. There are furnished rooms, an open kitchen. Residency is ready but I am holding back due to my health. I want to get in the textile designers, theatre people and actually people from all types of art genres. They can fill the space, express what they have and bring new ideas into art. I realize that we have so much of raw material in Ghana which we don’t use. I am glad that my son, Serge Clottey, has found one as I always kept telling him that we are painters but we need to look at something we can use and finally he found the gallons which he uses for his installations. I have participated in some of the residencies curated by Kofi Setordji, the founder of Art Haus Residency. Whenever he organized one, he would ask me to be a part of it and I would readily participate.

Yes, I do admire his works though I never got a chance to meet him. I would like to visit his studio in my next visit.

He is using unused gallons for his installations giving life to it and people are admiring it. We have so much around us. I realize that we, our generation,  happen to commute ourselves in paint. I still want to go with paints as they are readily available. But there is more new material around and this is helping those who want to use them. There is so much material but you need to identify and make sure you work with it effectively. 

Apart from your residency, what upcoming projects you have in your hands?

Right now, I have abandoned most of the projects I had planned due to my health issue. I want to live long so I need to give little time to look after myself. When I am ok, I will continue. I only come to the studio to work daily as an art practice. I don’t have any ongoing or upcoming exhibitions.

May God give you more of good and healthy years ahead. Now that your son is already into the art field and one of your daughters is also learning art under your guidance. What will be your advice to the young ones?

I would say, if you choose to be an artist, you need to question yourself if you really want to be in art and how long and how tall you want your art to take you. Art is dedication. Do not copy what you see, but be in your studio for long hours and you will do something great naturally. When you are in the studio, the canvas is talking to you and you have to use them to your advantage. And then the sky is the limit.

Thank you so much for your kind words, Seth Sir. And thanks for the precious time. 

                                 From left to right, Artist daughter Naa Anyemah,  Naa Botor , Seth Clottey

We then had photographs with his daughters and his daughter showed me the works she did. I think that she has a promising career.

Seth Clottey lives and works in Accra, Ghana.