Joseph Amedokpo was born in 1946 in Badougbe, a suburb of Vogan, located 60 km south of Lome, the capital city of TOGO (West Africa). His uncle took him to Nigeria at the age of 8 and enrolled him at the Holy Cross Catholic School in the city of Lagos. In 1964, after completing high school, Joseph went on to get his first formal painting and art education at the Yaba trade center. Upon completion of his art training, Joseph did various jobs including working at the First Bank of Nigeria, before deciding in 1984 to return to his natal Togo and become a full time artist.
Joseph describes himself as a born artist who started painting very early while still in elementary school. He has now been painting for more than thirty years. He works from Monday to Saturday, from 8am until dusk. Sunday, his only day off, is devoted to church and soccer. Joseph Amedokpo is married, with five children.
A single painting takes him three to four days to complete. A larger one can take five days. In a month, depending on the sizes of each painting, he can produce between five to ten pieces.
He enjoys using bright colors that shine brilliantly in the light and strike a chord in the viewer's imagination. His paintings are a graceful mix of abstract style and personification.
His inspiration comes to him in the middle of the night; he writes down the details of his dreams when he wakes up for some future creations. His favorite themes are centered on the culture and the African traditions. Many of his paintings also describe the popular folktales of West Africa like “Mamy Wata”, the goddess of sea also representing the woman’s beauty. “The Baobab” majestic and giant tree is synonym of power and is adorned by worshippers.
Joseph also paints the realities of his surroundings like the everyday struggle of getting some water at the river with “bitter search for Water” or the fantastic pride and enthusiasm created by the first World Cup on African soil “ Vuvuzela and the 2010 World Cup”, “Del Piero”
Joseph Amedokpo has attained world wide recognition by being selected by (Product) RED and Dell Computers to personalize the covers of a new laptop line with original artwork. A percentage of the laptops sales will go to The Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.
Joseph's paintings have been sold in Europe ( France, England, Germany), in Asia, and in the United States. Collectors have enjoyed the great detail and the visual effect of his painitngs as well as his artistic technique.
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