“The Noldor Artist Residency reflects my aspiration to contribute to a sustainable cultural ecosystem in Ghana, one where institutional entities, commercial entities, and independent initiatives feed and complement each other. Within this ecosystem, and although a residency’s commercial function may appear more remote, Noldor is rooted in its artists’ professional development – long-term and far-reaching. While advancing a rich, grounded creative process, we actively expose our residents to the commercial imperatives of being an international artist today – all-the-while supporting the expansion of Ghana’s, and Africa’s, local collector base and art market.”

Joseph Awuah-Darko (b. in London) is the founder and director of the Noldor Artist Residency, an annual 4-week program inviting an emerging African artist with limited access to resources to expand on his/her practice in a dedicated studio space and retreat in Accra, Ghana.

An African contemporary art connoisseur, collector and dealer, he has continuously looked to his Ghanaian upbringing and extensive travels to cultivate the ties between an established European art scene and Africa’s emerging cultural industries. With experience at African modern and contemporary art gallery Sulger-Buel in London, Awuah-Darko has actively nurtured his understanding of global art market dynamics, thereby seeking to apply and adapt them to his African roots.