Serge Attukwei Clottey

Serge Attukwei Clottey is a Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist known for his sculptural installations, performance art, painting, and photography, which explore themes of colonial legacies, migration, materiality, and environmental sustainability. Through his innovative use of found materials, particularly discarded yellow Kufuor gallon containers, Clottey has pioneered what he calls "Afrogallonism"—a movement that examines consumer culture, waste, and the socio-political implications of water access and migration in West Africa. A leading figure in contemporary African art, Clottey has exhibited extensively across Africa, Europe, the U.S., and the Middle East. His work has been the subject of major solo exhibitions, including ‘Beyond the Skin’ at Museu Tàpies, Barcelona (2024), ‘TETTEH NTENI’ at Simchowitz DTLA, Los Angeles (2024), ‘Crossroads’ at Simon Lee Gallery, London (2023), and ‘Gold Falls’ at Desert X AlUla, Saudi Arabia (2022). His immersive installations, such as ‘Tribe and Tribulation’ (The Line, London, 2022) and ‘Erased Past’ (Brigade, Copenhagen, 2022), challenge historical narratives while engaging in critical discussions on identity, migration, and climate change. Clottey’s public interventions and performance works, often staged with his GoLokal collective, incorporate textiles, sound, and movement, creating participatory experiences that examine the fluid relationship between tradition and contemporary life. His performances, such as ‘Shooting at Hunger’ at Kew Gardens, London (2022), and ‘The Bodies Left Behind’ at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, Miami (2022), reflect his commitment to storytelling through collective action. His work has been featured in prestigious institutional group exhibitions, including ‘Avant-Garde and Liberation’ at mumok, Vienna (2024), ‘Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation’ at the National Portrait Gallery, London (2023), and ‘The Laboratory of the Future’ at the Venice Architecture Biennale (2023). Clottey’s art is held in major public and private collections, such as Facebook (Menlo Park, CA), Kunstmuseum Arnhem (Netherlands), Palm Springs Art Museum, The World Bank Collection (Washington D.C.), and the Seth Dei Foundation, Accra. Honored for his contributions to contemporary African art, Clottey was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Brighton, UK. Continually redefining the intersection of sculpture, performance, and social activism, he remains at the forefront of contemporary art discourse, using his practice to amplify historical narratives, advocate for sustainability, and reimagine African identity in a globalized world.
 

Serge Attukwei Clottey

By the sea, 2020

Plastic and copper wire

62 x 60 in  (157.5 x 152.4 cm)

Serge Attukwei Clottey

Common Men Series, XCII, 2015

Fabric, wire, plastic, hardboard

14 1/2 x 13 in (36.8 x 33 cm)