Stephen Abban Junior

BIOGRAPHYStephen Abban Junior is a young contemporary Ghanaian artist currently working and living in Sekondi-Takoradi (the twin city of the Western Region, Ghana). He is a native of Mankessim, in the Central Region of Ghana. Abban’s passion for art began at an early age, scribbling on walls and replicating popular cartoon characters in books and on any available sheet of paper. His uncle, Abam, a farmer and one of the prominent personalities in the village, supported him throughout his artistic journey. EDUCATIONAbban studied visual arts in the senior high school, and holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in commercial arts (painting) from the Takoradi Technical University and also went on an International exchange program in Europe-Hungary to study visual representation (Fine Art) at Eszterhazy Karoly University in Eger-Hungary but currently pursuing a Bachelor of Technology degree in painting (studio practice) at the same university. ARTIST STATEMENTIllustrations on the walls of Mama Agartha, his mother, was a means of keeping memory. A short-term memory loss ushered his illustration on the walls of his mothers’ bedroom during his early childhood. This is to help recall his thoughts, moral lessons and values passed on by his parents. That called for his moral commission as at age eight by most of his basic school teachers, Mr. Tetteh was the initiator.The formalism of Stephen Abban Junior's oeuvre is comprised largely of figurative representations which the feminine figure dominates, thereby allotting Fluidity, unclenching and amnesty in his journey through his executions. Abban uses the human body (depicted in varied postures and spaces) metaphorically, as a way to address the pertinent historical narratives that are reticent in contemporary history.Art is the only profession where its past is as relevant as its presents. Hence the antiquity of an artefact adds up to its value. Inspirations from natures aging on historical antique objects (old medieval manuscripts) has resulted the creation of watercolor-like washes on the background of his works.Moral lessons are hardly thought during this century and seems to be vanishing, for its survival, lessons learnt from his parents and elders during his infancy, folk stories and stories in traditional Ghanaian songs will be inculcated in his future compositions for the benefit of the current and future generations.