Embodying Art

Full body contact in the name of art! More later on what British-Ghanaian artist Adelaide Damoah’s work has to do with chronic endometriosis. But first, why does she use her body as a paintbrush? 

Adelaide Damoah, Artist: "Painting in and of itself is an embodied process. And it’s a process that I always fully immerse myself in, and it’s always been something that I turn to for comfort. Carrying out performances is also something that is a powerful way for me to reclaim my own body, and to do something and produce something that hopefully impacts other people." 

Adelaide used to apply the paint directly to her body, but today she uses a different technique. In her studio in London, she uses her arms to create a transparent image on paper and then sifts the pigments onto it. 

Adelaide Damoah, Artist: "I use shea butter, which is from Ghana. It's actually good for the skin. So I'm not destroying my skin by making work. But most importantly, in terms of the look of the work, I just find it far more interesting than using paint." 

The Somerset House art center, London, October, 2023. As part of the African Art Fair, the works of 170 artists from African countries and the diaspora are on display. 

Adelaide is represented as well. Why is her presence in this exhibition so important? 

Adelaide Damoah: "This fair feels so important for black artists because so many of us, you won't find us at Frieze, you won’t find us at some of the other major art fairs. So this is an amazing opportunity to have work showcased in front of an international audience in the center of the art world really, in London. And it feels like home for me. It's just very special." 

Born and raised in London to Ghanaian parents, Adelaide studied applied biology and worked in the pharmaceutical industry. Why did she decide to become a full-time artist? 

Adelaide Damoah: "I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2000. And so the illness was ailing me on and off. The advantage of the illness was that it gave me time to really delve into my true love, which was art. So, by the time it got to 2005 people started buying work, and by this time, I was on long term sick. And then in 2006, I made a decision to leave that in the past, as in the pharmaceutical industry, and focus 100 percent on art." 

And how has Adelaide managed to cope with the chronic abdominal pain of endometriosis and engage with her illness artistically? 

Adelaide Damoah: "Because of the pain and my experience with the pain, that kind of acted as some kind of friction that has propelled me to move forward so there's this constant fight with my body to remain strong, so that I can keep doing the things that I do." 

During one of her regular visits to Ghana, Adelaide found photos of her forebears, which she incorporates into her art with symbols, texts or objects such as 4:03 lace from the colonial era. She now works mainly with the cyanotype technique. How does it work? 

Adelaide Damoah: "It's a really old photographic process where you have to mix these two chemicals together, and then you paint the paper or whatever surface you're using with it, and you have to let it dry in the dark. And then you expose it to UV light using a negative." 

This process always produces blue images. Adelaide has developed her own technique to make her pictures so colorful — but it’s a well-kept secret. 

Her body is an important tool in her paintings and performances. In her early career, she would never have thought that — despite her illness — she’d be able to live off her art. 

Adelaide Damoah: "The fact that I get to do this, and this is my life, is ridiculous. It's like a dream come true, honestly." 

Adelaide Damoah sees her art as a journey of healing, which is also meant to encourage the viewer to reflect.