Episode 256

Ep.256 Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe is a Ghanaian-born, Portland-based painter whose work moves quietly but with immense presence. Born in Accra in 1988, he trained at the Ghanatta College of Art and Design in Ghana before relocating to Portland, Oregon in 2017 where he continued to develop his distinctive visual language. His luminous oil portraits have been exhibited internationally, from Los Angeles to Sydney, and his work is included in major museum collections and group shows across the United States and Europe.
What began as an exploration of figurative painting evolved into a deliberate visual language rooted in identity, embodiment and cultural narrative. Quaicoe has spoken about how his move from Ghana to the United States deepened his awareness of how Black bodies are seen, read and experienced in different cultural contexts. This awareness, he explains, informs how he paints presence, gaze and posture.

Vangart https://vangart.fr/otis-kwame-kye-quaicoe/

Lex Weill https://weillgallery.com/artists/41-otis-kwame-kye-quaicoe/biography/

Zongville Appreciation Series https://zongoville.com/blogs/news/otis-kwame-kye-quaicoe-24-12-2025

Russo Lee Gallery https://www.russoleegallery.com/artists/otis-kwame-kye-quaicoe

Roberts Project https://www.robertsprojectsla.com/artists/otis-kwame-kye-quaicoe

Zara https://www.zara.com/us/en/search?searchTerm=otis%20kwame%20kye%20quaicoe&section=WOMAN

Artsper https://www.artsper.com/fr/artistes-contemporains/ghana/98535/otis-kwame-kye-quaicoe

Almine Rech https://www.alminerech.com/exhibitions/8892-otis-kwame-kye-quaicoe-superficial-incisions

Juxtapoz https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/magazine/features/otis-kwame-kye-quaicoe-you-re-in-america/

Rubell Museum https://rubellmuseum.org/2021-otis-kwame-kye-quaicoe

Deeds Magazine https://www.deedsmag.com/stories/in-conversation-with-exhibitor-otis-kwame-kye-quaicoe-about-pharrells-upcoming-femmes-group-exhibition-in-paris

THE IDDRISUS (Jus Phrez, Cherish, Phree, Fatimah & Abdul Rahim), 2025
Oil, acrylic, wallpaper, fabric appliqué on canvas
84 x 108 inches