Musah Yussif: The Saints of Ghana

Confronting contemporary culture through illustration.

Artist Interview - Musah Yussi Nubuke Foundation

Artist Musah Yussif on his current practice, his childhood in Nima, and the themes he explores.

The Saint I: V (2020) by Musah YussifOriginal Source: Nubuke Foundation

Musah Yussif was born in 1997 and is based in Kumasi, Ghana. He graduated with a BFA in Painting and Sculpture from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (2019).

The Saint II:II (2020) by Musah YussifOriginal Source: Nubuke Foundation

Musah Yussif believes in the potential of good in all of us. He thinks sainthood could be achieved by humans regardless of our backgrounds.

The Saint II: III (2020) by Musah YussifOriginal Source: Nubuke Foundation

In this series of drawings titled ‘The Saints’, he breaks away from the western depiction of divinity with symbols like halos.

The Saint I: II (2020) by Musah YussifOriginal Source: Nubuke Foundation

The idea of picture making plays a vital role in Musah Yussif composition of drawings, which involves taking reference photographs and manipulating them using photo editing software.

The Saint I: III (2020) by Musah YussifOriginal Source: Nubuke Foundation

The drawings are accompanied by patterns which are influenced by Islamic patterns and Sirigu paintings.

The Saint I: IV (2020) by Musah YussifOriginal Source: Nubuke Foundation

Musah Yussif mainly uses charcoal, pastel, and metallic paint for his works.

The Saint II: V (2020) by Musah YussifOriginal Source: Nubuke Foundation

The portraits depict women contemplating on life. They are a powerful reflection of identity and contemporary culture in Ghana.

The Saint II: IV (2020) by Musah YussifOriginal Source: Nubuke Foundation

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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