Renowned London art dealer and curator, Jean-David Malat travels to Baku to curate the exhibition of London-based Ghanaian artist Kojo Marfo. Jean-David tells Baku all about it, shipping 90kg artworks halfway across the world to working in the iconic Heydar Aliyev Centre
Kojo Marfo and Jean David Malat in the Heydar Aliyev Centre
It was a pleasure to curate Kojo Marfo’s show ‘Crucible of Hope’ at the Heydar Aliyev Centre. It’s one of Azerbaijan’s most beautiful modern cultural landmarks and I remember when Kojo and I first walked inside the building, we couldn’t wait to see his work up on the walls. It was an exciting process because we chose a mix of paintings from his studio way back from 2014 (like his acrylic on recycled paperboard series), all the way up to present day, such as his large acrylic on canvas works.
Kojo Marfo and Jean-David opening ‘Crucible of Hope’
It was also a smooth process for my team and the Heydar Aliyev Centre’s team to work together, they allowed us the creative freedom to curate a retrospective that encompassed Kojo’s artistic style and journey.
After we chose the pieces for the show, they shipped them over to Baku and took care of the installation – the most exciting thing I looked forward to seeing in person was Kojo’s patinated bronze sculpture ‘Treasure of the Heart’ which weighs 90kilos, there’s always challenge and risk involved when you transport works like that internationally, but the team there were amazing and took care of everything, so it was really special to see it in the huge rooms at the museum on the opening day.
“Treasure of the Heart” (2021)
The Heydar Aliyev Centre is an iconic building, and the space lends itself really well to diverse artists. Kojo’s show is Baku’s first ever exhibit of an African artist, so it really has been an amazing opportunity to pave the way for more cross-cultural conversations and hopefully more shows by African artists. Everyone was so excited about the opening, I remember when Kojo and I gave the opening speech, we both looked out to the audience of over 500 hundred people.
Marfo, born and raised in Ghana, references traditional Akan art to highlight social issues
I’ve represented Kojo since 2021, and working with Kojo barely feels like work, he’s not just a brilliant artist but also a humble and kind person that everyone connects with.
After our opening speech, he gave all the guests a tour of the exhibition which I know must have been tiring after that long flight from London to Baku on the morning of the same day of the big opening, but he did it and gave it his 100% as he always does. The response to his work in Baku has been nothing but positive, and we are excited to continue more projects together, both in London and overseas.
Find out more: www.jdmalat.com
Online Editor: Isabel Phillips
