Kojo Marfo on 'Beyond the Visible', His New Exhibition with JD Malat Gallery and FYND in Dubai

For Beyond the Visible, Ghanaian artist Kojo Marfo brings his distinctive figures to FYND at Alserkal Avenue in a collaboration with JD Malat Gallery. In conversation with JDEED, he discusses the stories behind his paintings, the importance of leaving room for interpretation and why our differences might not be so significant after all.

Kojo Marfo's paintings are populated by curious characters. Some have exaggerated eyes, others combine human and animal features, and many are surrounded by flowers, horses and elaborate patterns. Their identities are difficult to pin down, and that's entirely intentional.

The Ghanaian-born, London-based artist has brought his distinctive visual world to Dubai for Beyond the Visible, a solo exhibition presented by JD Malat Gallery in collaboration with FYND, at Alserkal Avenue. Curated by Ali Dioun, the exhibition runs until November 30 and explores the ways we perceive ourselves, other people and the world around us.

“What I’m looking forward to most is seeing how people engage with the work. I don’t necessarily expect everyone to see the same thing or arrive at the same interpretation. In fact, I welcome the differences.”

For Marfo, the starting point is surprisingly ordinary: paying attention to life. “I think a lot of it comes from observing myself and the world around me. The more I reflect on life, the more I realise how much we share as human beings,” he tells JDEED.

“Despite our different backgrounds and circumstances, many of our experiences are remarkably similar. We all go through different stages of growth, encounter challenges, form relationships, develop aspirations and, in one way or another, try to make sense of our existence.”

These observations have become increasingly important to his practice. While his paintings are immediately recognisable for their bold colours and unusual figures, Marfo is less interested in creating images that are simply pleasing to look at: “I am less concerned with simply what we see and more interested in what lies beneath our experiences and perceptions. I don’t want my work to be simply beautiful to look at without offering something of the human experience.”

His artistic language draws heavily on his Ghanaian upbringing, particularly the traditional Akan sculptures, carvings and ceremonial objects he encountered as a child. Over time, these influences have developed into what he calls AfroGenesis, an approach that incorporates his heritage alongside experiences gathered from living and working in different parts of the world.

The figures themselves are especially intriguing. Their faces often borrow characteristics from animals, while their proportions and features resist conventional ideas of beauty, gender or identity.

Marfo explains that this ambiguity is a deliberate choice. “I’ve made it a conscious decision not to paint recognisable likenesses of real human beings. As humans, we come in different shapes, sizes, genders and complexions, and I don’t want my figures to be confined to any particular identity or physical representation.”

By removing the familiar markers through which we tend to categorise people, he hopes viewers can approach the paintings without immediately assigning them to a particular group: “By allowing the boundaries between human and animal forms to blur, I create figures that are less about individual identity and more about our shared human experience.”

“I don’t want to dictate who the figures represent or limit what people can see in them. I’d rather leave that space open for individual interpretation and human connection.”

Look closely at the compositions and you'll notice that the characters rarely appear alone. Flowers, horses and decorative elements occupy just as much attention as the figures themselves. These details might initially appear ornamental, but Marfo considers them essential to the stories he tells.

“As human beings, we attach meaning to the things we surround ourselves with, whether it’s our clothes, cars, jewellery, homes or other possessions. They often become reflections of our tastes, aspirations, identities and the times we live in.”

Rather than painting contemporary symbols of status, he looks further back. “Rather than focusing on contemporary possessions such as cars and houses, I gravitated towards flowers, horses and other elements drawn from our past.”

For him, these objects carry associations that extend beyond their appearance. They speak to changing values, cultural histories and the ways people express themselves through what they choose to keep close.

“I bring these elements together intuitively, allowing them to interact and create narratives within the composition. They are not simply decorative additions; each contributes to a broader conversation about who we are, what we value and how we express ourselves.”

At FYND, Marfo's paintings are presented alongside sculptural furniture by UAE-based studio Contemporary Spaces. The collaboration introduces another dimension to the exhibition, placing his expressive canvases in conversation with objects defined by architectural proportions and carefully considered materials.

For curator Ali Dioun, who is also an architect and co-founder of FYND, the relationship between the works and their surroundings is an important part of the exhibition: “His figures have a striking presence, yet their identities and stories remain unresolved,” Dioun explains. “In bringing these works together, I wanted to preserve that openness while exploring how each painting could reveal something new in another.”

Having exhibited in Dubai previously, Marfo is particularly interested in how audiences here will respond to this new body of work. He doesn't expect everyone to agree on what the paintings mean. In fact, he would prefer they didn't.

“What I’m looking forward to most is seeing how people engage with the work. I don’t necessarily expect everyone to see the same thing or arrive at the same interpretation. In fact, I welcome the differences.”

It's a fitting attitude for an artist who has spent years creating figures that refuse to be easily identified. Their stories remain deliberately unfinished, allowing viewers to bring their own experiences into the picture.

“Art becomes much more interesting when it moves beyond the artist’s original intentions and takes on new meanings through the experiences of others.”

And if visitors leave the exhibition with more questions than answers, Marfo seems perfectly happy with that: “Ultimately, I hope people leave with something to think about, perhaps even something they hadn’t considered before. For me, that exchange is just as important as the paintings themselves.”

'Beyond the Visible' by Kojo Marfo is on view at FYND, Warehouse 64A, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, until November 30, 2026. Presented by JD Malat Gallery in collaboration with FYND and curated by Ali Dioun, the exhibition is open daily from 10am to 7pm.