1. George "Fowokan" Kelly was born on 1 April 1943 and is a Jamaican-born visual artist who lives in Britain and exhibits using the name "Fowokan".
10 Facts About Fowokan
1. 2.
Fowokan is a largely self-taught artist, who has been practising sculpture since 1980.
3.
Fowokan's work is full of the ambivalence he sees in the deep-rooted spiritual and mental conflict between the African and the European.
4.
Fowokan's work is rooted in the traditions of pre-colonial Africa and ancient Egypt rather than the Greco-Roman art of the west.
5.
Fowokan has been a jeweller, essayist, poet and musician.
6.
Fowokan decided to become an artist while on a visit to Benin, Nigeria, in the mid-1970s.
7.
Fowokan had travelled as a musician to Nigeria, where he experienced some kind of spiritual transformation or enlightenment.
8.
Fowokan returned to London determined to acquire knowledge of the technique of sculpture, which he was able to find in books and through trial and error.
9.
Fowokan has written essays that have been published in books and magazines.
10.
In 2011 Fowokan featured in "Better than Good", an arts education initiative to highlight the achievements of Black artists in Britain.