Green Handbag

Standing against a soft pink background, a woman turns to meet our gaze with quiet confidence. Her purple coat and the bright green handbag that gives this painting its name pop against the warm backdrop, while her long braided hair flows down past her shoulder. There's a relaxed everyday feeling here, as if we've simply caught her in a moment of pause.

This is the work of Amoako Boafo, a Ghanaian artist who has quickly become one of the most talked about painters of recent years. Boafo is known for a special technique where he uses his fingers instead of brushes to paint skin, building up texture and life that you can almost feel. His portraits celebrate Black subjects with care and dignity, often placing them front and center against colorful flat backgrounds that make the figures stand out even more.

Born in Accra and later based in Vienna, Boafo draws inspiration from artists like Egon Schiele while telling stories that are very much his own. His paintings have traveled the world and even flew to the edge of space on a rocket in 2021. In works like this one, the message is simple but powerful: these are people worth looking at, worth remembering, and worth celebrating.