Yannick Ackah

Yannick Ackah (born in 1992 in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire) is a prominent voices of a new generation of artists. In his multifaceted works, he combines traditional African cultural motifs with elements of Western modernism and urban contemporary culture. African mask art, European art history, and personal experiences merge into a visually powerful language that bridges memory and vision. Ackah’s art is a powerful dialogue between cultural roots and a global perspective.

"I see in African sculptures a beauty, a challenge, a whole story, a great mystery, which I try to solve through my work with lines, brushstrokes, and also with color."

— Yannick Ackah

His style, in its energy and form language, evokes artists like Picasso or Basquiat, but Ackah’s signature remains unmistakable. With vibrant colors, bold lines, and strong symbolism, he creates works that are both aesthetically moving and socially reflective.

Different materials such as paper, newspaper and magazine articles, or fabric, which he assembles collage-style in his works, create the typical tactile surface structure. These contribute to the three-dimensionality and depth of his works, adding a dimension of everyday and popular culture that the artist playfully combines with traditional motifs. His works merge personal experiences with collective memories, opening up new perspectives on African contemporary art that critically addresses historical and current power dynamics. Ackah consciously engages with themes such as memory culture, restitution debates, racism, and cultural transformation.

Yannick Ackah graduated in 2020 from the École des Beaux-Arts in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire). Since then, he has exhibited internationally, and his works are part of renowned private collections in France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, the USA, Japan, China, and South Korea. In 2021, his works were presented at the Institut Français Hamburg, and in 2022, he participated in the Aufatmen exhibition at the Barlach Halle K. In 2024, he was part of the Persona exhibition (curated by Harald Falckenberg) and the Mouvement exhibition in cooperation with the French Consulate in Hamburg. In 2025, he was selected as a finalist for the Norval Sovereign African Art Prize and will participate in the group exhibition at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town.