We talk exclusively to Jacob Tetteh-Ashong, a Ghanaian who has been
an apprentice to his father, Joseph Ashong (more famously known as
Paa Joe), a figurative palanquin and fantasy coffin artist.
Can you give us a short
background on yourself?
I am Jacob Tetteh-Ashong, the fifth born
to the internationally renowned coffin
maker, Paa Joe. I am currently 27 years
of age.
Did you always want to be an
artist? How did your journey to be
becoming an artist start?
I had never thought about being an
artist, but rather the manager of my
father’s coffin business until I was 18
years old. This happened when we were
forced to move the coffin business from
the centre of Accra. During that time all
the apprentices of Paa Joe ran away due
to the distance and financial crisis. I thus
had no option but to stand firm and be
an artist to prevent the coffin trade from
dying.
What artists, African and abroad,
have inspired your work?
Bob and Roberta Smith, British artists I
collaborated with in 2012.
How would you describe the style
of your work?
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The purpose of our work is to escort
the dead to the land of the afterlife,
displaying their profession while alive.
What is the general inspiration
when you sit down to create?
What inspires me most is what will be
unusual to the public.
Can you pick out one or two
favourite pieces of your work?
My favourite coffins have been the Lion
and the Eagle because they are symbols
of authority to bury the kings.
What do you have in store for the
next twelve months?
I have a lot of bigger coffin and smaller
coffins in store for the international
market.
Is there any other information
that you would like to share?
I am looking forward to organising an
artist residency with my Paa Joe to teach
students and other artists how to make
these fancy coffins. There is also a film
about Paa Joe titled Paa Joe & The Lion
by the British filmmaker Ben Wigley
which will come out later this year. AD