ARTIST STATEMENT & CLIENT LIST

A proud export of Ghana, Koby's talent and God-given gift were nurtured in his homeland and later refined in the United Kingdom. These two worlds blend seamlessly in his art, where the influences of his African heritage and life in Europe consistently shape the narratives he presents.

Koby’s work is an introspective and autobiographical exploration of self. He believes that understanding oneself is essential when exploring any subject matter, as our individual perspectives influence how we interpret the psychological and physical experiences of daily life. His work portrays the universal human journey through emotions, memories, thoughts and feelings. As his practice continues to grow, he expands his themes beyond personal narratives to include topics such as identity, social and racial injustice. In doing so, his work reflects both historical epochs and contemporary events.

Through emotive figures, symbolic subjects and abstract forms, Koby captures the delicate balance between courage and vulnerability, conveyed through body language. He uses space and environment, such as walls, to represent past events, sometimes incorporating or omitting human figures and using familiar elements and symbols, including Adinkra symbols from Ghana.

Adinkra symbols, traditionally found on pottery, stools, textiles and architecture, represent philosophical concepts or proverbs. Koby integrates these symbols to enrich the meaning of his compositions and to extend the conversation about his culture and heritage. Central themes in his work include family, migration, memory and emotion. He explores these ideas through his personal lens, shaped by the convergence of his African background and his experiences with contemporary Western practices.

Koby is especially interested in the question of what existed before we encountered it. He explores this by using secondary source materials such as family photo albums, magazines and posters, combining them with acrylic and oil pastels to evoke a specific time, place and atmosphere. This technique invites dialogue about identity and origins while blending various mediums to uncover lost stories and discover new ones.

Throughout his career, Koby has contributed to creative projects across the globe, collaborating with artists such as Krept and Konan, Wizkid, J Hus, Wretch 32, Chronixx, Tinie Tempah and many others. He has also worked with renowned brands including Nike, Adidas, Universal Music, 0207 Def Jam, Bacardi, House of Marley, Native Magazine, Virgin Records and Mercedes Benz.

Among his standout achievements, Koby’s artwork was featured on a limited edition fleet of Mercedes Smart Cars and in a bespoke watch collection created in collaboration with the Singaporean luxury brand LyttLabs. He also designed pieces for J Hus’s clothing line and capsule collection titled "The Ugliest," including scarf designs and jacket linings.

Since 2014, Koby has held annual exhibitions at galleries across the United Kingdom and internationally. In 2019, he was commissioned by the British Council and the British High Commission to create a live painting at the Afrochella concert held at El Wak Stadium in Accra, Ghana.

In August 2020, Koby participated in a live painting session titled "Home Is Where the Heart Is," commissioned by Tate Collective and My Runway Group. His piece addressed the topic of overcoming anxiety. Later that year, he became an ambassador for the iconic American streetwear brand Karl Kani and was featured in its "Can I" campaign, highlighted by Highsnobiety.

In 2021, Koby was selected by Tate to participate in an online panel discussing current painting practices. The event was inspired by Lynette Yiadom Boakye’s exhibition "Fly in League with the Night" at Tate Britain. A few months later, he was commissioned by Tate Collective and Bankside London to create his first public artwork in the Bankside area near Tate Modern. The resulting mural, titled "Spotlight Dreams," explored the area's history of performance, theatre and music. It depicted men performing female roles at a time when women were not allowed on stage and featured the Ghanaian Adinkra symbol "funtunfunefu denkyemfunefu," which represents unity, a recurring theme in his work. The mural remains on display.

In 2022, Koby directed and designed the visual identity of Ghanaian international artist Kwesi Arthur’s album "Son of Jacob," curated by Ground Up Chale, a creative collective for emerging talent in Ghana. That same year, he was commissioned to create a globe sculpture for the city of Newham. As part of the project, he engaged with the local community to explore its racial and social history. The initiative was part of a collaboration with The World Reimagined and JP Morgan, championed by Yinka Shonibare CBE. The completed piece was launched at Westminster Abbey and now resides in the Broadway area of Stratford, Newham.

In 2023, following a successful group exhibition in Los Angeles with Goodmother Gallery, Koby was selected by Peju Oshin, Associate Director at Gagosian, to exhibit in the prestigious ING Discerning Eye exhibition at the Mall Galleries.

That same year, he was commissioned by Peckham Platform to lead a six-day workshop with young people from the Southwark Youth Justice Service. The workshop culminated in a mural titled "Unity in Diversity," located in East Dulwich in the Goose Green area. The mural features a dramatic sky in pink—a signature color in Koby’s visual language. It depicts various hands in conversation, assembling puzzle pieces that form the Adinkra symbol "funtunfunefu denkyemfunefu." The center of the mural reveals the completed symbol, representing unity.

The expressive hands draw inspiration from works such as Philip Guston’s "The Line," Michelangelo’s "The Creation of Adam" and "The Annunciation" by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

In late 2023, Koby was awarded a one-year residency with Sarabande, the foundation established by Lee Alexander McQueen. During his residency, he developed a new body of paintings which were showcased in his highly anticipated solo exhibition "Drunk Minds Speak of Sober Times." The exhibition was a sold-out success and generated significant attention across the art world.

In 2013, Koby founded Kobmart, a platform for exhibiting his work and managing his career as an artist.