Joseph Amedokpo, 1946-2024
Biography

Joseph Amedokpo (also recorded as Joseph N'koalé Amédokpo) was born in Vogan, Togo, in 1946 and moved to Lagos, Nigeria, at the age of eight, where he received his education and, from 1966 to 1968, a scholarship to study fine art at the Yaba Trade Centre.

Amedokpo painted with locally sourced oils on recycled flour sacks, which he washed and stretched by hand before working. His canvases are full of colour, line and narrative, drawing on ancestor worship and Vodun spirituality alongside scenes of everyday West African life.

In November 2008, Amedokpo was selected as one of four artists worldwide for Dell's Product (RED) initiative supporting the global fight against AIDS. His work has been exhibited across Europe and the United States, and was produced from his family compound in Vogan until his death in 2024.