Gideon Appah's Ghanaian-Inspired Art

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: Gideon Appah's Ghanaian-Inspired Art
Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Alison Stewart (A)
Guest: Gideon Appah (B), Ghanaian Painter
Topic: Exploring the inspirations, themes, and process behind Gideon Appah’s first solo show at Pace Gallery, “Beneath Night and Day.”

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the work and vision of Ghanaian artist Gideon Appah, whose debut solo exhibition at Pace Gallery in New York, “Beneath Night and Day,” captures scenes of Ghana’s beach life, festival traditions, and layered storytelling through painting and film. Appah and host Alison Stewart explore how his lived experiences and memory shape his creative process, the connection between film and painting, and the cultural resonance of his subjects.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Inspiration from Ghanaian Beach Life

• Origin of the Series:

  • Gideon’s frequent visits to Busua Beach, about six hours from Ghana’s capital, greatly influenced his recent work.
  • First visited in 2022 for leisure; returned in 2025 with the intent to film and document the scenes for his artwork.
  • Quote:

    “I was actually struck by the lifestyle of the people and then they were fishermen. That was actually the very first time I had that kind of close encounter with water, like getting into water, like with the sea.” (02:00-02:32)

• Atmosphere and Aesthetics:

  • Describes the beach culture as freeing and relaxed, with music, bonfires, and a "simple life."
  • Horses and evening bonfires contributed to the paintings' sense of peace and freedom.
  • Quote:

    “There's the freedom. The freedom and the relaxation... it was a very, very simple life that I experienced there.” (03:36-04:07)

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2. Creative Process: Blending Memory and Documentation

• Photo & Film Integration:
  • Paintings like “Bathers and Boats” feature figures inspired both by his imagination and direct reference to photographs taken during filming.
  • Blurs the line between real individuals and remembered scenes.
  • Quote:

    “I was first working with imagination of people and also working with straight from the photographs of them.” (04:35-05:00)

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3. Highlighting Community Activities

• “Target Practice” Painting:
  • Depicts locals playfully engaging in archery at the beach—a contemporary, communal activity Appah witnessed in 2023.
  • The painting and the accompanying film influenced each other, reflecting the interplay of still and moving images in his storytelling.
  • Quote:

    “The film did influence the painting as well. And the painting also did influence the film.” (06:27-06:43)

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4. Film Component: “Beyond the Shadows”

• Purpose and Impact:
  • Included to add “volume” and narrative depth to the paintings, particularly dense works like “Target Practice.”
  • Uses symbolic repetition and color, e.g., the red-and-white target circles, for compositional harmony.
  • Quote:

    “I was trying to find that kind of harmony within the work. And when I painted a target. Red, white. Red, white. It became a repetition of color... it helped to bring the work together.” (07:36-08:17)

• Voiceover Collaboration:
  • Features a poem written and performed by Ghanaian poet Puertra Asantoa.
  • The poet viewed the film before crafting lines, making the work highly responsive to the visual narrative.
  • Quote (Poem Excerpt by Puertra Asantoa):

    “To become yourself is no gentle work. The self resists, twists. Even hides. Yet it is yours and yours alone to shape into something whole.” (08:35-09:00)

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5. Large-Scale Storytelling in Paintings

• “Night Catch” Analysis:
  • Used for show promotion, the image is a cropping of a much larger scene with a fisherman, a rescued turtle, a man with a bird on his head, boats, and more.
  • The painting was constructed in stages, starting with individual episodes before layering together into a broader narrative.
  • Quote:

    “I painted that one in various steps. It did first start with the gentleman with the bird on top of his head... there was this guy trying to rescue [a turtle] from the water... it’s all a part of also storytelling.” (10:47-11:52)

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6. Festival Traditions: “Young Masquerade”

• Cultural Context:
  • The vibrant portrait depicts a Ghanaian drummer in traditional masquerade attire, referencing West Ghana’s Takradi and Winiba festivals.
  • Children parade with brass bands, collecting sweets—a festival Appah observed firsthand while filming.
  • The painting stands out with distinct red backgrounds to make the figure "pop."
  • Quote:

    “His dressing is very typical of a festival in Ghana... they dress up like masquerades... I happened to see them around. So it kind of like popped in my head. I would like to try to see if I can paint this thing.” (12:41-14:02)

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7. Interweaving Day and Night

• Exhibition Title:
  • “Beneath Night and Day” alludes to the ambiguous time settings in his paintings—often indeterminate between day and night, spanning multiple moods and events.
  • Quote:

    “The paintings, the atmosphere in the paintings, you can't really tell whether it's night or day. Like it falls within various... hours of the day through darks and dawn and throughout the mornings and then the afternoons.” (14:24-15:12)

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8. Personal Reflections and Gallery Debut

• On His Studio:
  • Located in Accra, Ghana, which he misses, but is excited for the current phase.
• Significance of the Solo Show:
  • His first solo in New York after previous group shows with Pace; signifies a milestone in his career.
  • Quote:

    “It's a very, very big deal... Now this is the time that I have to come to New York and, and show these beautiful paintings.” (15:27-16:08)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On artistic storytelling:

  “It’s all a part of also storytelling. You’re looking at the events of your travels or what you’re doing, and then you put them into a painting.” (11:52)

• On creative harmony:

  “I was trying to find that kind of harmony within the work... it helped to bring the work together.” (08:06)

• On collaboration with the poet:

  “She kind of went into her element after seeing the film... It was just a perfect match.” (09:11-09:35)

• On the meaning of the show’s title:

  “The atmosphere in the paintings, you can't really tell whether it's night or day.” (14:31)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:00] Origin story: Busua Beach’s impact on Appah’s art
• [03:36] Elements of freedom and relaxation depicted
• [05:38] The playful archery scene: “Target Practice”
• [06:49] Incorporating film into the exhibit
• [08:24] The voiceover poem by Puertra Asantoa
• [09:55] “Night Catch” and constructing layered narratives on canvas
• [12:19] “Young Masquerade” and Ghanaian festival culture
• [14:31] Meaning behind “Beneath Night and Day”
• [15:27] Reflections on the significance of a solo show at Pace Gallery

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Tone and Style

The conversation is warm, exploratory, and collaborative. Alison Stewart fosters enthusiasm and genuine curiosity, while Appah responds with humility and openness about his process and Ghanaian heritage. Their exchange is easygoing, thoughtfully unpacking both technical and emotional dimensions of Appah's art.

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Final Note

For listeners or gallery-goers interested in how place, memory, and community life are transmuted into contemporary African art, this episode provides rich insight into the unique vision of Gideon Appah and the multilayered worlds behind each painting in “Beneath Night and Day.” The show is on display at Pace Gallery, 510 W. 25th St., New York, through February 26, 2026.

Transcript

[A]

All of it is supported by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the Name youe Price Tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match Limited by state law not available in all states. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Now let's kick off an hour of gallery art shows in our area. 2 by Ghanaian artists with very different styles and one in New Jersey by a well known painter. Let's start with Gideon Apa's first solo show at the Pace Gallery. Gideon Apa's first solo show at the Pace Gallery is titled Beneath night and in 2024. Culture magazine says. Since his arrival on the international scene at the tail end of the last decade, Apa has cemented his place as an essential alchemist of favas traditions, African popular culture and relaxed portraiture. The new show spotlights works on canvas created over the past year in his studio in Ghana. The work features fishermen, performers, the beauty of a day at the beach. Some of the works are huge, taking up an entire wall Beneath Night. And now on display at the Pace gallery at its 510 W. 25th St. Location through Monday, Feb. 26. Gideon Apa joins us to discuss his career and the inspiration behind his latest work. Gideon, welcome.

[B]

Thank you. Thank you.

[A]

So nice to meet you. You know, many of these images are inspired by your visits to the beach. Our particular beach is about six hours away from Ghana. What is the name of the beach? I want you to say it correctly. And what drew you to that beach?

[B]

Okay. The name of the beach is Bourgeois. Bourgeois Beach. B U S U A. Yeah. So I had visited there in 2022 with some friends of mine. And then I was actually struck by the, the lifestyle of the people and then they were fishermen. And that was actually the very first time that I had that kind of close encounter with water, like getting into water, like with the sea. Yeah. So I also enjoyed the, the nightlife. Also they normally do a bonfire night and every, everybody is so cool right there. And I was, I was liking it, liking it so much. Then I returned in 2025. What drew me there especially for the show was I wanted to do a video, a film to document the scenes so then it becomes a part of the paintings. I wanted to tell the story of the paintings through the moving stills. So then I was in 2025 and then I visited first and went back, prepared myself. You went again Come back. Yeah.

[A]

What's inspiring for you as an artist about the beach and beach culture?

[B]

There's the freedom. The freedom and the relaxation. The paintings I did, I was trying very much, you know, to get them in that kind of relaxed atmosphere is more peaceful. There's a lot of freedom. There are horses as well. There are horses and there's music there. So it was very, very simple life that I experienced there.

[A]

Let's talk about a couple of paintings that are in the show Bathers and Boats, which shows surfers the resting with their surfboards. The boats were the background. Actually, if you go to our instagram @olivet wnyc, you can see my pictures that I took yesterday. They're not the best pictures, but they're good pictures. You'll get a sense of what they're about. So it's this beach scene. Who are the individuals? Who are the people in this painting?

[B]

So they are from the films? Actually, yes, because I also took photographs of them from the film, but also they also became inspiration for other figures. So I was working with both. I was first working with imagination of people and also working with Straight from the photographs of them.

[A]

Oh, that's so interesting. So it's both memory and the actual picture of someone.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Oh, that's wild. Yeah. First, do you know how to surf, by the way?

[B]

I don't. I'm an observer.

[A]

I am an observer. My guest, Gideon Appa, we're talking about his new show, Beneath Night and Day. It's on view now at Pace Gallery. The next one I want to talk about was target practice. It looks to be a group of people on the beach waiting to shoot an arrow at a target. What's the backstory behind this?

[B]

I wanted to paint an activity especially. And when I went in 2023, there was that kind of activity of the. The locals shooting arrows. Yeah, shooting arrows at targets, you know, but very playful ones. Not dangerous. Yeah. So I went back, and then I really saw it as a very, you know, a contemporary activity. And I do have a, you know, at the. At the place of this, you know, of the beach. So then I did do a copy of that for the film, which we showed in the film as well. I wanted to do a painting of such. So that painting was actually the foam in. In a painting form, actually. Or we could say it's both ways. Cause also, the film did influence the painting as well. And the painting also did influence the film.

[A]

Yeah, we should point out that the film is in the show.

[B]

It's in the show, yeah.

[A]

Yeah, it's called beyond the Shadows. Why did you want to include it in the show? What do you think it adds to the show?

[B]

I think technically it has a lot of volume to the painting. That painting particularly is very dense. It had a lot of figures in there. And I wanted also, besides the storytelling or the narrative part of the work, I wanted also to complete something with painting. I mean, the technique of painting or arrangement of things. So then the circles of the targets, they just didn't become just normal targets. They became volumes of space for balancing of the paintings. Because I was also. I was trying to find that kind of harmony within the work. And when I painted a target. Red, white. Red, white. It became a repetition of color. Yeah. And it's occupied the right side of the work. So also it helped to bring the work together. And there was also the challenge of putting the landscape and then the figures, everything together. So I was very much, very technically, just looking at the painting and trying to accomplish that.

[A]

In the film, it includes a voiceover poem written and performed by a musical artist. Who is the artist?

[B]

Her name is Puertra Asantoa. She's a poet from Ghana.

[A]

Yeah. Should we listen to a little bit about a little bit of it?

[B]

Yes, she did. Yeah.

[A]

Let's listen. To become yourself is no gentle work. The self resists, twists.

[B]

Even hides.

[A]

Yet it is yours and yours alone to shape into something whole. How is she able to capture what the word, what the beach, what that environment means in her words?

[B]

Yeah, she's been doing this for a very long time. She's very experienced. And so when we sent the video, when everything was done, we sent the phone to her, then I would say she kind of went into an element.

[A]

That'S kind of cool. She goes into her element after seeing the film.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[A]

Oh, that's right. And then that's how she created the word.

[B]

Yes. That's how she created the words. And it was just a perfect match. Was beautiful thing that she did. And we just had, after we listened to it, we said that this is it. This is it. I think that it's so good that we can just put it right there in the film. And it kind of clicked.

[A]

The image used on the promotion for the show is a smaller part of a larger painting. The painting is called Night Catch, and in the promo for it, it's a fisherman. He's either releasing or bringing in a turtle on his boat. But then when you see the whole picture, it's huge. It's. It's the boat. It's the ocean. It's a man standing in front. He's got. I think he's got a bird on his head as well. There's a whole lot going on in the picture. How do you decide when to focus on one moment in a painting? Or did you decide. This is a whole. A whole aspect that I wanted to get, this whole aspect of the beach. Or did you have this part with the boat, this part with the gentleman, this part with the landscape? I'm curious about how a painting that large comes together.

[B]

So I painted. I painted that one in various. Like, in various steps. But it did first start with the gentleman with the. With the bed on top of his head.

[A]

Oh, the bed. Okay.

[B]

He's got that. Yes, yes. It started with that. And then after I did my visit, I. I saw a turtle, actually. Yeah, there was a turtle on the. On. On the beach, and there was this guy trying to rescue it from the. From the water. Yeah. So I thought it was cool that I wanted to paint that.

[A]

And so you put that next to the guy with the bird?

[B]

Yeah, I put that next to the guy with the bird. And it just was perfect. It just was perfect for the show. So it's all a part of also storytelling. You know, like, you're telling a narration, or you. You. You're looking at the events of your travels or for what you're doing, and then you put them into a painting.

[A]

I'm speaking with Gideon Apa about his new show, Beneath Night and Day. It's on view at the pace gallery through February 28, 2026. Okay, so there's all this beau painting and portraiture around the beach and how people perform at the beach. And then you turn around, and there is a picture on a black wall of. It looks to be a Ghanaian drummer.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Am I right? Yes, yes. He's in full garb. He's got a hat. He's got a gorgeous outfit. He's got a big bow on his chest. He's playing a drum. And it's titled Young Masquerade.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

First of all, how does this fit in with the rest of the show? Or was this just a piece that you liked and you wanted in your show? I'm curious about its placement.

[B]

No, first, it's a piece that I really wanted and is one of the works that I really enjoyed painting because of the patterns and the colors, putting the colors and the patterns together to form the clothing of the figure. But his attire or his dressing is very typical of a festival in Ghana celebrated by the people of Takradi and Winiba in the western part of Ghana. So they dress up like masquerades. It's a very large one. They dress up masquerades and they have a band, they have a brass band. They moved through the towns and cities and most of the time the children go asking for, you know, little bit of candies and things like that. It's a tradition that they do. And it normally happens in early January, early January after Christmas. So it just happened like that. And I for one part also, because I was in the western region doing the film and I've visited about three times, I happened to see them around. So it kind of like popped in my head. I would like to try to see if I can paint this thing. And also, I mean, it's one of the paintings that had. The background was very different. It has this red, red, red, but very toned down red because I wanted the figure to pop from the background. Yeah. So it was challenging. It was exciting to paint and I think that it's really have a very beautiful mark.

[A]

What is the title to show Beneath Night and Day? What does that mean to you?

[B]

It means that the paintings, the atmosphere in the paintings, you can't really tell whether it's night or day. Like it falls within various, like the hours of the day through darks and dawn and throughout the mornings and then the afternoons because most of them have the background that's like sometimes like maybe turquoise or gray or is bright blue and all that. I was painting various times of the day with various events happening.

[A]

Where's your studio now?

[B]

So my studio is in Accra, Ghana.

[A]

Do you miss it?

[B]

I do, yeah. But not, not, not too much. I mean, I don't miss it so much. Yeah.

[A]

What does it mean for you to have your first solo show at Pace Gallery?

[B]

It means a lot. It's. I, I mean, I was here in 2024 when I met with the pasting, but now I got to meet with almost everybody, the pasting. And it's a very, very big deal. And it's my fourth show with Pace, so it's like a journey. I've shown elsewhere Pace, I've shown with Pais elsewhere. Now this is the time that I have to come to New York and, and show these beautiful paintings.

[A]

I've been speaking with Gideon Apa about his new show, Beneath Night and Day, which is now on display at Pace gallery at its 510 W. 25th St. Location through Monday, February 26th. Thank you so much for being with us.

[B]

Great. Thank you.

[C]

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