Emmanuel Opoku

Beyond the Visible

Emmanuel Manu Opoku is a Ghanaian-born artist whose practice centers on how stories, identities, and memories live within the objects we gather and the images we construct. Working between painting, assemblage, and sculptural strategies, he builds visual worlds where personal history and cultural experience intertwine.

Symbolic Portraiture

Opoku creates richly layered works where human figures are intertwined with everyday objects that act as mnemonic. These “symbolic portraits” explore how identity is constructed, concealed, and continually negotiated.

Identity, Diaspora & Material Culture

His practice examines the lived experiences of migration, cultural assimilation, and the psychological relationships people build with objects. Through this lens, his work considers how value, memory, and identity intersect.

International Exhibitions & Recognition

With solo exhibitions in Florida, North Carolina, New Mexico, and Massachusetts, and group shows across the U.S. and Ghana. Opoku’s work has received awards including the ArtsWorcester Juror’s Prize, the Harold Garde Studio Art Award, and the James J. Rizzi Studio Award.

Educator & Collaborative Practice

Opoku’s teaching experience spans Assumption University, Clark University, and the University of Florida. His collaborative projects include Exquisite Moving Corpse and a 2025 commission with the Worcester Art Museum alongside Lee Mingwei.

Emmanuel's Timeline

  1. BFA in Painting, KNUST

    Completed Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Participated in “89 Plus” at Nubuke Foundation.

  2. Press Feature

    Featured in Contemporary And’s “Department of Now,” highlighting emerging artistic voices.

  3. Instructor & Solo Exhibitions

    Became Instructor of Record in Sculpture at the University of Florida. Held multiple solo exhibitions including “Inseparable Entities,” “Language of Space,” “A Table of Content,” and “Risen Compass.” Received multiple awards including the Rizzi Scholarship and UF Dean’s Award.

  4. Scholarship & Exhibition

    Awarded the Harold Garde Studio Art Scholarship. Presented solo exhibition “Dialectics of Memory” at Larimer Art Center, FL.

  5. MFA in Sculpture, UF

    Earned MFA from the University of Florida. Served as Adjunct Professor in Interdisciplinary Art. Curated exhibitions at 4Most Gallery and served on selection jury for Clark University public sculptures.

  6. National & International Exhibitions

    Solo exhibition “Here and There” at Strata Gallery, Santa Fe. Participated in traveling video exhibition “Exquisite Moving Corpse” in New York, Albuquerque, and Venice.

  7. Adjunct Professor & Awards

    Joined Assumption University as Adjunct Professor of Painting & Drawing, and Clark University as Adjunct Professor of Sculpture. Received the Juror’s Prize at ArtsWorcester and exhibited in multiple major Massachusetts art events.

  8. Artist Talks & Major Solo Show

    Delivered artist talks at ArtsWorcester, Strata Gallery, and Nubuke Foundation. Presented the solo exhibition “We Ourselves Are Shared.” Featured in Artscope Magazine and CanvasRebel.

  9. Collaborations & National Features

    Collaborated with internationally renowned artist Lee Mingwei on “Our Peaceable Kingdom.” Exhibited “Color” at Worcester Center for Craft. Profiled in African Arts (MIT Press) and ArtsWorcester Artist Portfolio.

Gallery

Living between places teaches you that identity is not fixed. It shifts, adapts, and gathers meaning along the way.

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Material, Memory & Transformation

A practice shaped by the quiet power of objects, the fluidity of identity, and the stories that surface through material form.

Opoku’s work begins with the belief that objects are more than physical things, they are vessels of memory that inherit meaning across time. His process often starts with fragments: collected items, remembered gestures, or everyday materials that carry emotional and cultural resonance.

Through layering, distortion, and reconstruction, he creates spaces where the familiar becomes newly charged. Color, surface, and form operate as shifting languages, allowing narratives to emerge gradually rather than presenting a single fixed interpretation. His images invite viewers to encounter identity as something fluid, shaped as much by what we carry forward as by what we leave behind.

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Person in the mirror

PROFILE

Emmanuel Manu Opoku

Learn more about his background, teaching, exhibitions, and professional highlights below.

Education

  • Master of Fine Arts, Sculpture – University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2021
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana, 2015

Academic & Professional Appointments

  • Adjunct Professor of Studio Arts – Painting & Drawing, Assumption University, Worcester, MA (Jan 2023–Present): Teach studio-based foundation courses in 2D art, emphasizing creative problem-solving and materials exploration.
  • Adjunct Professor of Studio Arts – Sculpture, Clark University, Worcester, MA (Aug 2023–Dec 2023): Taught 3D media using found objects contextualized through social, philosophical, and historical discourse; guided students in using accessible materials to create critical, concept-driven artworks.
  • Adjunct Professor of Studio Arts – Interdisciplinary Art, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Sept 2021–Jun 2022): Space Studio (foundation sculpture course on spatial investigations, 3D design strategies, and digital fabrication); Making and Meaning (interdisciplinary course exploring conceptual strategies across performance, 2D, and 3D media).
  • Instructor of Record – Sculpture, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Aug 2019–Jun 2021): Shaping Space and Form (contemporary sculpture practices); Gravity and Buoyancy (inflation, suspension, and installation-based sculptural strategies).
  • Curator, 4Most Gallery, Gainesville, FL (Oct 2021–Apr 2022): Organized exhibitions, coordinated open calls, and supervised interns.

Awards & Honors

  • 2023 – Juror’s Prize, ArtsWorcester Gallery, Worcester, MA
  • 2020 – Harold Garde Studio Art Scholarship, University of Florida
  • 2019 – College of the Arts Outstanding International Student Award, University of Florida
  • 2019 – FACC Juried Exhibition / Dean’s Award, College of the Arts, UF
  • 2019 – James J. Rizzi Scholarship, School of Art + Art History, UF

Other Professional Activities

  • 2024 – Presenter, 19th ACASA Triennial Roundtable: “A Ghanaian–United States Nexus in Art Pedagogy and Practice”, DePaul University, Chicago
  • 2024 – Artist talk: ArtsWorcester (MA), Strata Gallery (NM), Nubuke Foundation (Ghana)
  • 2021 – Served on the selection jury for public sculptures at Clark University Park
  • 2015 – 89 Plus, Nubuke Foundation, Accra, Ghana (Juried by Hans Ulrich Obrist)

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2024 – We Ourselves Are Shared, ArtsWorcester Gallery, Worcester, MA
  • 2023 – Not One or Two, Grizzly Grizzly Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2022 – Here and There, Strata Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
  • 2020 – Dialectics of Memory, Larimer Art Center, Palatka, FL
  • 2019 – Inseparable Entities, Fried Fruit Gallery, Wilmington, NC
  • 2019 – Language of Space, Freshasfruit Gallery, DeLand, FL
  • 2019 – A Table of Content, Grinter Gallery of International Art, University of Florida
  • 2019 – Risen Compass, 4Most Gallery, Gainesville, FL

Selected Group Exhibitions

  • 2025 – Color, Worcester Center for Craft, Worcester, MA
  • 2024 – Catch the Fire, Massachusetts State House, Boston, MA
  • 2023 – Faculty Group Exhibition, Assumption University, Worcester, MA
  • 2023 – Eleventh Annual Exhibition, ArtsWorcester, MA
  • 2023 – 87th Regional Exhibition, Fitchburg Art Museum, MA
  • 2023 – ArtsWorcester 20th Biennial, Worcester, MA
  • 2023 – Impact, ArtsWorcester in collaboration with Fitchburg Art Museum
  • 2021 – Generously Entangled, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Greenville, SC
  • 2021 – The Medium Is the Message: The African Diaspora Story, Taylor Gallery, University of Delaware
  • 2020 – A Prologue, Strata Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
  • 2019 – Awaking Frequency, 4Most Gallery, Gainesville, FL

Collaborative Projects

  • 2025 – Our Peaceable Kingdom with Lee Mingwei
  • 2022 – Exquisite Moving Corpse (traveling video exhibition): Microscope Gallery, New York; Experiments in Cinema, Albuquerque, NM; Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice, Italy. Featuring artists including Sergio Vega, Ken Friedman, Mary Mattingly, Tea Mäkipää, Mel Chin, Hasan Elahi, Oliver Herring, Cyriaco Lopes, Emiko Omori, Mark Dion, Tony Oursler, among others.

Bibliography & Press

  • “IN THE PROCESS OF UNDERSTANDING: Opoku Brings Ghana’s Colorful Culture to Worcester.” Artscope Magazine, 1 Jan. 2024, Accessed 25 Nov. 2025
  • Opoku, Emmanuel. “Emmanuel Opoku.” ArtsWorcester Artist Portfolio, 11 Apr. 2025
  • “Meet Emmanuel Opoku.” CanvasRebel Magazine, 1 July 2024, Accessed 25 Nov. 2025
  • PressReader. “Person in the Mirror (2021).” (2022)
  • Diallo, Aïcha. Contemporary And: “Department of Now.” (2017)
  • Kooness Magazine. “Six Questions to Emmanuel Manu Opoku.” (2022)
  • Grizzly Grizzly. “202309.” Accessed November 25, 2025.
  • MIT Press: “Transforming Art from Commodity to Gift…” (2021)
  • Abatemarco, Michael. Santa Fe New Mexican: “Emmanuel Manu Opoku at Strata Gallery.” (2022)
  • Murphy, Trisha. Palatka Daily News: “Ghanaian Artist to Display Unique Style…” (2022)
  • “Emmanuel Opoku.” Fried Fruit Art Space, Accessed 25 Nov. 2025
  • “Meet Emmanuel Manu Opoku.” BoldJourney, 8 Mar. 2024, Accessed 25 Nov. 2025
  • “What is Their Secret? Artists from KNUST at American Universities.” African Arts, vol. 58, no. 3, 2025, p. 1, Accessed 25 Nov. 2025
  • “Emmanuel Manu Opoku.” Strata Gallery Santa Fe, Accessed 25 Nov. 2025
  • Batty, Matthew Anthony. “GVL / Generously Entangled.” Tiger Strikes Asteroid, 5 Nov. 2025

CONNECT

Contact Emmanuel

For exhibition inquiries, collaborations, or interviews, please reach out using the contact form.

Emmanuel values meaningful exchanges that expand the dialogue around identity, memory, and material culture.

He is open to collaborations that align with his commitment to exploring identity, material memory, and cross-cultural narratives within contemporary art.

Email

Share project details or press requests at fineart@emmanuelopoku.com.



Emmanuel welcomes inquiries from galleries, museums, writers, educators, and collaborators interested in his work, teaching, or public programming. Whether you’re planning an exhibition, commissioning new work, or developing a conversation around identity and material culture, he is open to thoughtful, well-aligned opportunities.