Kofi Perry: Bridging Classicism and Afrofuturism Through Bold Figurative Painting
In a world where contemporary art often struggles between traditional craft and conceptual innovation, emerging artist Kofi Perry has found a unique path that bridges ancient artistic traditions with futuristic vision. The winner of the 2023 Ingram Prize, Perry creates oil paintings that challenge conventional boundaries between classicism and Afrofuturism, resulting in works that feel both timeless and urgently contemporary.
A Global Journey to Artistic Identity
Perry's multicultural background reads like a modern nomad's tale. Born in Lebanon to an American father and Iranian mother who grew up in Lebanon, he spent his first eight years in the Middle East before moving to the United States. His artistic journey took him from Philadelphia to Hong Kong, where he initially studied ceramics, before eventually settling in London where he completed his artistic education and launched his career.
This geographic wandering wasn't just circumstantial—it became foundational to Perry's artistic perspective. "My parents, my dad is American, and my mom is Iranian, but she grew up in Lebanon. So that is already like kind of a mix of things that I have to deal with when I'm born," Perry explains. This multicultural foundation would later inform his approach to art-making, where he seamlessly blends influences from diverse cultural traditions.
The Evolution from Ceramics to Canvas
Perry's path to painting was far from linear. Starting with ceramics in Hong Kong, he found himself drawn to the fundamental nature of drawing when he transferred to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. For over two years, he pursued drawing as his primary medium, believing that mastering this fundamental skill would provide a solid foundation for other artistic endeavors.
The transition to painting came organically in 2021, during a period of personal upheaval when he relocated to the UK. "I started asking myself like, what would my drawings look like in color," Perry recalls. What began as an attempt to simply add color to his drawings evolved into a full embrace of painting's unique possibilities. This evolution reflects a broader theme in Perry's work: the transformation of ideas through different mediums while maintaining core artistic principles.
Compositional Boldness: The Power of the Crop
One of the most striking aspects of Perry's paintings is their dramatically cropped compositions. Figures burst from the canvas edges, creating an intense intimacy between viewer and subject. While some interpret this as figures struggling against containment, Perry sees it differently: "For me, the way I think about it is more that the rectangle is sort of... It's less that the figure is actually contained or obstructed by this body's margins. It's more just that it fits really nicely, like a puzzle."
This compositional approach draws inspiration from ancient friezes—those classical relief sculptures that have adorned buildings for millennia. Perry recognizes that friezes have historically served propagandistic purposes, and he consciously employs this format for his own contemporary commentary. The tight cropping foregrounds the figure and their poses, making them the primary subject rather than any background narrative.
Afrofuturism as Both Tool and Challenge
Perry's relationship with the term "Afrofuturism" is complex and thoughtful. While he acknowledges its utility for describing his work succinctly, he's also aware of its problematic origins and the way it can function as a limiting label. "Afrofuturism to me is something almost sticky because it's this label that I've attached to my work that helps for like branding purposes," he admits. "Maybe it like kind of clearly very aptly describes what I'm doing in one word, but it's also like a very controversial word because it was created by a white intellectual about Black art."
This tension reflects broader conversations in contemporary art about identity, categorization, and artistic freedom. Perry navigates these waters by using the term strategically while maintaining his independence as an artist who refuses to be completely defined by any single label.
The Sculptural Figure: Broad Form and Cultural Archives
Perry's figures possess a distinctly sculptural quality that sets them apart from traditional portraiture. Rather than working from live models, he draws inspiration from "cultural archives like black cultural archives, album covers, and say like FBI wanted camp of party posters or civil rights photography." This approach allows him to create imagined characters that feel both specific and universal.
The sculptural quality of his figures stems from his interest in what he calls "broad form"—a concept he traces back to the neoclassical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. This emphasis on simple, round, substantial forms creates figures that feel monumental and enduring, connecting contemporary subjects to ancient artistic traditions.
Reconciling Classicism with Contemporary Vision
Perhaps Perry's most significant artistic achievement is his ability to reconcile classical techniques with contemporary subject matter without conflict. Through his research and practice, he's come to understand that the classical elements he learned at the Pennsylvania Academy—the broad forms, the frieze-like compositions, the emphasis on fundamental craft—aren't exclusively European traditions but rather universal human approaches to art-making that appear across cultures and millennia.
"Maybe this classicism is actually much older and more universal and it's shared among different cultures and I don't have to feel this stickiness about using it in my Afrofuturist art that is supposed to subvert these establishments," Perry reflects. This realization has freed him to draw from ancient Greek and Egyptian art alongside Mayan and Hindu temple traditions, creating a truly global artistic vocabulary.
The Ingram Prize and Beyond
Perry's victory in the Ingram Prize represents a significant milestone in his career, though he admits the experience was "very bizarre" and took time to process. The prize included a solo exhibition at the Lightbox gallery, providing him with the platform to fully realize his artistic vision.
Looking ahead, Perry has ambitious goals that extend beyond traditional gallery success. While he aims to become "a household name" in both classical painting and Afrofuturism circles, he's also interested in creating alternative spaces and institutions. "I would love to get to that kind of arena and then find my own path maybe start my own institution, physical institution," he explains, suggesting a future where artists can create their own platforms rather than conforming to existing structures.
A Vision for the Future
Perry's work represents something vital in contemporary art: the ability to honor tradition while pushing boundaries, to embrace identity while refusing limitation, and to create beauty that serves a purpose beyond mere aesthetics. His paintings offer viewers figures that feel both ancient and futuristic, familiar and otherworldly, challenging us to reconsider our assumptions about art history, cultural identity, and the power of painting itself.
In an art world often divided between conceptual innovation and traditional craft, Perry demonstrates that the most powerful contemporary art might come from synthesis rather than opposition. His work suggests that the future of painting lies not in rejecting the past but in reimagining it, creating new narratives that honor both where we've been and where we're going.
As Perry continues to develop his practice and expand his reach, his work serves as a compelling example of how contemporary artists can navigate complex cultural and artistic terrain while maintaining their own unique voice. In bridging classicism and Afrofuturism, he's not just creating paintings—he's creating new possibilities for what art can be and do in our interconnected world.
Kofi Perry's work can be found on Instagram @kofiperrart and at kofiperry.com.