One of Accra's best-known art houses is celebrating two decades with an exhibition rooted in clay. The Nubuke Foundation has opened Repair as an Ode to the Unearthed, a solo show by ceramic artist Frederick Ebenezer Okai.
The exhibition opened on October 17, 2026, and runs until April 2027. It is curated by Ngoné Fall.
Old forms, new life
Okai is a multidisciplinary artist and one of Ghana's leading ceramic practitioners. His work draws on traditions he has met in pottery communities across Ghana and West Africa.
His sculptures rework forms linked to religious, funerary, fertility and everyday practices. In doing so, he brings almost-forgotten cultural knowledge into conversation with contemporary sculpture.
The show's message is that tradition does not have to be frozen in time to be protected. It can be remade and carried forward.
The timing adds weight. The exhibition period runs into March 2027, when Ghana marks 70 years of independence.
Twenty years of Nubuke
Nubuke was founded in 2006 as an Accra-based, Ghanaian-owned and managed not-for-profit. Its mission has been to nurture talent and build the careers of young artists.
Its programmes, including Independence/Independence, Young Ghanaian Artists and Ghana Must Go, have given artists room to grow and exchange ideas. Many artists it supported early on are now known internationally.
The foundation's reach goes beyond the capital. In the Upper West Region, it set up the Nubuke Foundation Centre for Textiles and Clay, which supports women weavers and clay artisans.
Its annual Woori Festival brings weaving together with music, poetry, literature, fashion and visual art. Textiles made in the Upper West have travelled to exhibitions in the United Kingdom, Austria and Poland.
Worth a visit
The foundation runs a purpose-built, 500-square-metre gallery in Accra, and has just launched a new website documenting its journey.
The anniversary celebrations began in March. Okai's show offers a fitting high point, looking back at what the earth has kept while pointing to what Ghanaian art can become.
