Rufai Zakari (b. 1990) is based between Accra and Bawku, Ghana. He completed his apprenticeship under Mozzay, a senior artist in Nima, Accra. In 2011, Rufai Zakari graduated from the Ghanatta College of Art and Design. In his work, Zakari examines consumerism, environmental pollution, labour, trade, and the perils of industrialization in contemporary Ghanaian society. The founder of Rujab Eco-Art Foundation in his hometown of Bawku, Zakari bases his practice on the recycling of waste from the streets of Ghana. After decades of tribal conflict that took countless lives and left the city in ruins, Zakari is now looking to the future with optimism and a strong ambition to rebuild what has been lost while inspiring hope in his community.
Solo exhibitions include Girls Like Us, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Tower Bridge, London, UK (2024); Enigyee, San Luis Potosí Center for the Arts, Mexico City, Mexico (2023); Contemporary Matters, Ohio, USA (2023); Enigyee, San Luis Potosí Center for the Arts, Mexico City, Mexico (2023); There is Still Tomorrow, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin (2022); Gallery T293, Rome (2022); A New Dawn, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2021).
Group exhibitions include (Upcoming) EXPO Chicago, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Chicago, IL (2025); A Gentle Seed, Mclennon Pen Co Gallery in Austin, Texas, US (2024); Emerging Echoes From Ghana: Reflecting Stories of Identity, Contemporary Art Matters, Columbus, Ohio, US (2024); New Wave Art Wknd, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach, USA (2023); 1-54 NYC, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, New York City, USA (2023); The Day I Saw You, Queretaro Contemporary Art Museum, Mexico (2023); Columbus Museum of Art, US (2023); 'Untitled Miami Beach', with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Miami , USA (2022); The Armory Show, The Breeder Gallery, New York (2022); Home is where the Art is, Kunsthal Rotterdam, NL (2022); Global Positioning, Public Art Fund, New York, Boston and Chicago, US (2022); Intersecting Identities, Arushi, US (2022); Global Positioning, Public Art Fund, New York, Boston and Chicago (2022); Entre-acte, Selebe Yoon, Dakar, Senegal (2021); More is More: Visual Richness in Contemporary Art, Akron Art Museum, US (2021); 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London (2021); Devil’s in the Detail, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2020); This Exhibition is Untitled, Nubuke Foundation, Accra (2020); "CirculArt" Sustainable Art Exhibition by Eco Reward, Casa Trasacco Accra (2019); World Behind the Horizon Exhibition, Gess Gallery, Dusseldorf (2019); Sustainable Art Workshop, Merck Foundation, Dubai (2019); Sustainable Art Workshop, British High Commission, Accra (2018); Violence Against Women Exhibition. Alliance Francaise Accra (2018); "Yoomo Be Ga" Recycle Art Exhibition, Museum of Science and Technology, Accra (2017); Ghana Netherland Cultural Week Exhibition, Accra (2016); "African Champions" Mural in collaboration with (You Are For Africa), Lagos (2015).
Highlights and Collections
Rufai Zakari's work can be found in important private and public collections, including LAM Museum, Netherlands; Pizzuti Collection at Columbus Museum of Art, USA; Arthur Lewis Collection, USA; Easton Capital/John Friedman Collection, USA; Nubuke Foundation, Ghana; The Bunker Artspace Museum, USA; The Ditau Collection, South Africa; Susan Goodman Collection, USA; VG Collection; Akron Museum Collection, USA; JOM Collection, Senegal; AMMA Foundation, Mexico; The Africa Centre Collection, London, UK.