Akirash

Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya a.k.a Akirash

Accra, Ghana

Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya, known by the name “Akirash,” is a native of Nigeria, now residing in Accra, Ghana. His aim is to put life, beauty and meaning into materials otherwise considered useless waste. A member of several organizations, such as Foundation for Contemporary Art, Ghana, Ghana Association of Visual Art, Art In Aktion, and Pan-African Circle of Artists, Akirash has had solo shows in Benin, Egypt, Ghana and Nigeria. He has also taken part in numerous group exhibitions in Africa, Europe and the United States including international biennials.

Much of Akirash’s artistic life is focused on mentorship and activism in the community. Since 2003 Akirash has worked with students from New York University and well as from colleges in Canada, Greece and Ireland. He has also served as a coordinator for “Art and AIDS,” a five-country effort to remove the stigma of people who are HIV-positive.

In the end, Akirash believes that Art is Life! Art has to have a message: it should re-create, heal and cure.

See more of Akirash’s work at: www.fcaghana.org/index.php?option=com_artist&task=profile&id=86

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