Patrick Quarm, a Ghanaian mixed-media artist, discusses his journey from drawing in his youth to developing a distinctive practice that explores cultural duality, hybridity, and identity. He reflects on how moving between Ghana and the U.S. shaped his perspective, and how an intuitive studio discovery led him to integrate African print fabrics into layered, three-dimensional portraits. Patrick shares insights on navigating multiple cultural contexts, the evolution of his conceptual thinking during graduate school, and the importance of experimentation and reflection within his creative process. He also speaks about using the body as a visual language to negotiate personal and collective identity.
Here’s what we discuss:
- The development of his signature layered mixed-media process.
- How living between Ghana and the U.S. influences his artistic perspective.
- Identity, hybridity, and cultural negotiation in his portraiture.
- The role of experimentation and intuitive discovery in shaping his practice.
- How periods of reflection and travel impact his creative growth.
About Patrick-
Patrick Quarm (b. 1988, Ghana) earned his BFA in Painting from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana (2012), and his MFA from Texas Tech University, USA (2018). He currently lives and works between Ghana and the United States. Quarm’s practice explores identity with a focus on cultural hybridity and social evolution. His multi-layered paintings weave and splice cultural signifiers from different eras and communities, creating complex dialogues between history, memory, and contemporary life.
His work has been presented in numerous exhibitions, including the Ford Foundation, New York, NY; Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, NE; Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH; Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University, Houston, TX; Kunstraum Potsdam, Berlin, DE; Gagosian, London, UK; Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI; K.N.U.S.T. Museum, Kumasi, Ghana; and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI.
Quarm’s work is represented in several public and private collections, including the Syracuse University Art Museum, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and Ruby City. He has also participated in notable residencies, including the Red Bull Arts Detroit Residency (2019), the NXTHVN Fellowship (2021–2022), and the Artpace International Artist-in-Residence Program in San Antonio.