David Obeng Adane (b. 1992)

Kwankyen Ade I

2023

Hand-carved stoneware with layered patinated finish

H 32 × W 41 cm

Kwankyen Ade I takes its title from an Akan proverb: “Things worth possessing are not easily gained but acquired through effort.” The handbuilt vessel draws on the form of household storage pots that have anchored Akan domestic life across generations.

The surface is densely carved with geometric bands and Adinkra-derived motifs, each symbol carrying its own proverbial meaning within Akan visual culture. The patterns sit somewhere between ornament and language, articulating the theme of endurance that gives the series its name.

The layered patina recalls the grain of aged wood, blurring the line between ceramic surface and carved timber. This surface treatment has become a defining quality of Adane’s recent work and sits in conversation with the woodworking traditions of his region. Kwankyen Ade I is one of the foundational pieces in the series, and the first of several Adane has developed under this title.

 

“My work is a meeting point between inherited knowledge and contemporary form, where each mark carries intention and explores identity, memory and the dialogue between past and present.”

— David Obeng Adane