Abrewa Posoposo
Photographed by Mafalda Rakoš
2026
Abrewa Posoposo
Painted by Kweku Okokroko
2025
SUMSUMSASA
Painting & Photograph
A collaborative project that brought together 11 people; including students and an alumini student of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, a student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Local Crafts man and woman from Ghana , a Vienna based- hair artist, a musician and poet, a non-artist artefact-contributor, and an Independent filmaker. Working together towards the creation of a Photograph.
Sumsumsasa took place on the 18th of January 2026, at the Mehrzwecksaal, Atelierhaus, Lehárgasse 8, of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
Participants
Adelle Dodgbe – Model
Adrian Hall Kranz – Hair Artist
Alaine Akouvi – Textile Artist (Kente weaver)
Alexander Krisa – Photographer
Francis Fosu Mensah – (Textile) Artist
Kwame Brenya – Musician and Poet
Kwaku Addai – Metalsmith
Kweku Okokroko – Painter
Lucy Appiah – Artefact Contributor
Mafalda Rakoš – Photographer
Stella Maria Schwaiger – (Ceramic) Artist
Tania Podveikina – Filmmaker
Project Description
“Sumsumsasa” is a term coined by Kweku Okokroko, a Ghanaian Paintier and writer & Kwame Brenya, a Ghanaian poet and musician. The word is made up of two words, “Sumsum” and “Sasa”.
“Sumsum” translates to “Spirit’’ in the Akan, Twi Language of Ghana.
“Sasa” translates to “Spirit” also, but for that which is of Animals and Plants. Sasa can in the exemptive case of death, be also posessed by a human body; Dead human bodies may posess Sasa.
The Title of this project “Sumsumsasa” is a play on the two different words that represent the life force that dwells in and animates all living creatures according to the Akan Doctrine of Creation.
The merging of the two words in the coined word “Sumsumsasa” is symbolic, in that, it suggests a singular origin of the two life forces, and argues variance, only in the manifestation of this singular life force.
This direction of thought and reasoning is the underlying of this undertaking. It aimed to export this idea of singularity in spirit notwithstanding variance in the manifestation of the same, into artistic practice.
The goal of this project was to make a photograph that embodies the same spirit as is embodies by the painting tiled Abrewa Posoposo, by kweku Okokroko.
Curated by Kweku Okokroko
Photographs by Alexander Kris
