The Colorful and Raw African Contemporary Art of Theophilus Tetteh

“The art makes the man and the man makes the art,” says African contemporary artist Theophilus Tetteh.

Theophilus Tetteh, also known by his brush name Nii Odai, is an African contemporary artist from Ghana. He studied graphic design and painting at Marimus art school all while experimenting with different media themes. He recently won the artist of the year prize at the BE OPEN Art online gallery (which empowers emerging artists from all around the world) and he is also a member of the Ghana Association of Visual Artists (GAVA).

Nii Odai has a versatile approach to art and works in diverse styles. But at its core, his African contemporary art is an abstract fragmentation of landscapes, people, or natural objects into geometric forms and a recreation of them into a shallow, 2D space (the canvas.) This approach brings the viewer a brand new analysis of multiple perspectives for the same object. In essence, his style belongs to the unique combination of cubism, contemporary, and abstract expressionism schools of art.

African Contemporary Art: A Window to The Soul

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A night in the Couch African contemporary cubism painting by Theophilus Tetteh — A night in the Couch, Acrylic on Canvas, 35 x 40 in

Inspirational Drummer African contemporary cubism painting by Theophilus Tetteh — Inspirational Drummer, Acrylic on Canvas, 36×28 in

African contemporary art with vagrant colors

Perhaps one characteristic of Nii Odai’s work that stands out is his use of raw, primary colors. And that’s because they’re the closest manifestation of creation or the creator and its ability to evoke our emotions. “Being an artist to me simply means imitating the principles of creation and our creator,” he says. As a result, his work synthesizes the mechanics of the man-made environment with the natural order of the world and helps us feel attached to the unseen.

joyful forgive African contemporary cubism painting by Theophilus Tetteh — Joyful Forgive, Acrylic on Canvas, 36 x 28 in

Family Prayer wins African contemporary cubism painting by Theophilus Tetteh — Family Prayer Wins, Acrylic on Canvas, 50 x 40 in

A window to the soul

Nii Odai is currently working on two different themes together: analytical cubism and window to the soul. He uses the technical advantages of cubism to open a window for us to see the world’s diversity, simplicity, beauty, color combination, and soul. “I have been doing this for the past 5 five years because art is in me,” he says. “And I want my work to convey a message of inspiration that evokes emotion and natural virtues.”