A number of extremely talented young artists converged at the CFAO showroom on the 10th of June 2022, to find out which one of them would win the coveted first prize in the maiden edition of the CFAO Young Talent Art Competition.
This competition was organised by CFAO, in collaboration with SoView Gallery in East Legon to give young artists living in Ghana the opportunity to shine, whilst supporting the development of Arts in Ghana.
At this well-attended awards ceremony, the CFAO showroom, which showcases Mitsubishi vehicles, was transformed into an art gallery beautifully displaying breathtaking pieces of artworks from the various artists created under the general theme, “The Journey”.
The competition was launched in March with an open call for entries, which had an impressive number of 150 plus artists applying. A panel of well-seasoned judges drawn from a wide section of art disciplines and services were brought in to make a selection of 20 young artists who made the cut to take part in the competition.
The judges whose duty it was to shortlist and select the final winners of the competition were: Theresah Ankomah, an artist best known for works that explore the intricacies of weaving and works across a wide array of media; Awo Tsegah, a Ghanaian contemporary artist whose creations are reflective of pop art and surreal explorations of freedom; Kwesi Botchway a Ghanaian contemporary artist who combines realism and impressionism, in a style he refers to as Afro-Impressionism and Martey Matthew Abuatey, a Ghanaian artist and Educator.
In a short statement during the Award ceremony, the MD of CFAO Ghana Mr Paulo Fernandes in his welcome address said “For the CFAO Group, our role is not only to be one of the main actors within the Automobile market, but also be a socially responsible company which supports society through Education, Environmental Projects and Art programs.”
He further added that the CFAO Group will continue to support arts and culture in Ghana because it is key in terms of education and fostering the innovative spirit of the younger generations.
The winning artwork, by Essilfie Banton, was an impressive collage composed of different coloured pieces of plastic picked from the beaches and rubbish dumps into a vibrantly coloured artwork showing a Mitsubishi pickup on a mountainous terrain, one broken-down vehicle and another in the distance. The artist explained that this also depicts the journeys different people embark on with different destinations in mind. Some will go in one direction and others, whilst others, go another way.
The second prize was awarded to Bright Lamptey, whose acrylic painting of three maidens endowed with three eyes, had a surreal yet abstract approach. Bright explained that journeys can also be a mental one requiring the ability to see into the future and plan towards it, hence the extra eye. It was a moment of achievement for him, and he was profoundly proud of himself.
The third prize position was awarded to Enoch Hammond with an intricately woven mosaic of cow horns cut into squares, and interlaced with fishing thread. An image of someone resting appears in the middle of the mosaic, signifying rest from the journeys in life. The cream ivory installation had a captivating appeal to it.
The Communications Manager of CFAO, Mr. Dennis Gawuga, congratulated all the other contestants and encouraged them not to give up as this was just the beginning of many more great things to come in their respective careers. All the artists had a moment with the special guests to further explain their artworks, network and the given the opportunity to market themselves.
The artworks will remain on display at the CFAO Airport showroom for a period of two weeks and then move to SoView Art Gallery for another two weeks where art enthusiasts and collectors are encouraged to purchase them to support this initiative.
