Home From Home: We all eat the same waakye – Prince Cartiee
Prince Cartiee Baffour-Asare known popularly as Prince Cartiee is a Ghanaian visual artist based in Accra working primarily with photography. Inspired by the rich and vibrant culture of Ghana, Prince captures the essence of youth culture through arresting and colourful compositions which speak towards afro-surrealism. His clients included Daily Paper, Condé Nast, La Meme Gang and Okay Africa to name a few.
I first became aware of Prince and his work at the start of 2019. I came across his early work which was shot entirely on iPhone and was interested in how he was capturing the energy of his subjects. To contextualise this relationship through the theme of connectivity, from which this interview series stems from, it is important to share that I am yet to meet Prince in person.
Our interview was a labour of love, we hopped between Zoom and FaceTime, with many breaks in the communication which we wittily attributed to it being a Saturday evening and the whole world being on the internet to participate in the hundreds of IG lives which attempt to substitute for our lack of physical gathering. The internet continues to be a powerful tool in connecting Africa and its diaspora to start and continue conversations about our collective future. For this I am grateful.
Péjú Oshin: How did your practice start and would you describe it?
Prince Cartiee: My formal education is actually as a graphic designer. I’ve always had an interest in sculpture, literature and painting. I’ve spent a lot of time studying human beings; their figures and expressions. I experimented with photography through phones and started to enjoy it. A lot of my work focuses on everyday life and capturing youth culture in Ghana. I see my work as a segue experience – they are still photos, but it has motion, there is music playing behind it; drawing you in, taking you somewhere – to another place. The idea is that you first welcome it and then you try and find yourself somewhere in the work.
Prince Cartiee SUNDAZED - BackstorySeries
PO: You started your photography career shooting on iPhone and working in VSCO which speaks to the new ways in which a generation of younger artists are developing their own visual language, did you have any inspiration while you were starting out?
PC: So, my agency found it quite incredible that my early works were mainly shot on my iPhone too. Initially, when I started, I didn’t have any inspiration. About two years ago, I discovered James Barnor. When I say this man has pictures, chale! He left home to make great things, he had an exhibition during the year of the return and has pictures that make you understand the journey of independence. He was a pioneer. Aside from that, my very good friend Prince Gyasi – he’s capturing our stories but making it more imaginative through his use of colour. He’s on a path of growth, sometimes I get to see him editing, but by the time I see the finished version, I’m like woah, I’m sitting there playing FIFA and this what you’re doing? [laughs], I won’t even say he’s the next big thing, because he’s already there. There’s also a Dutch artist Viviane Sassen who has been an inspiration, she has a lot of work that portrays Africa - before I got to know about my agency, I was able to talk with her and it was phenomenal. When I started on IG she was so inspirational. When I look at her works it makes me understand that we are really one. They were beautiful pictures.
PO: As part of your journey you’ve recently joined an agency, what has that experience been like?
PC: This is totally new to me and I had lots of conversations with them before signing. I wanted them to understand the structure and the way things work here in Ghana. There aren’t a lot of agencies representing artists in West Africa, it’s much more common in South Africa, East Africa and even in North Africa in places like Morocco, but here - it’s not something that we really see. There are structures which are easy to implement in Europe that don’t work here. We have to consider the different cultures and language; to think of this as a starting point, we’re breaking barriers and changing cultures.
Although the agency is based in Europe (The Netherlands) I still want to work on projects in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa. They’ve really supported me in helping me to get my work out there to a wider audience and other key elements such as my artist voice and website amongst other important tasks. They support with projects coming in from global clients and are helping to create opportunities for me where I can travel to and work in Europe. It took a while but I’m in a good place.
Prince Cartiee Hemels Gezonden - Muse: Nana Kwame / Art Director: Nana Yaw Oduro
PO: Although starting off self-taught, you’ve recently gone back to school to study photography, is it useful and is it better informing your practice?
PC: It was new to me, firstly, it’s the understanding that you're changing from one medium to another – it felt different. The practical elements are standard; lens, aperture etc, there are aspects of what the teacher taught that I wouldn’t necessarily apply to my own work. There were 3 months of classes which included me assisting with various setups. At points it was overwhelming, I had to understand that editorial photographers use cameras, with this, I also became aware that digital cameras are essential, it made me want to do more of my work with cameras.
One thing I considered through this is the approach, studio work is a big thing in Western Europe whereas here, we mainly work outdoors. It’s broadened my horizons, I started thinking about shooting at night, using the technical lighting, using gels and the rest of it. However, I think I’ll stick to my essentials which is more colourful and about putting spectators in an arresting composition - the segue part of my work.
Prince Cartiee We All We Got
PO: The Year of return was HUGE and we saw many people flocking to ‘home’ during the Christmas period. As an artist living on the continent, what has it been like witnessing a global diaspora (re)claiming space in Ghana?
PC: The year of return definitely helped in getting to know more people and bridging the gap, but I’d say the diaspora (Americans and Brits) still can’t adapt fully to the way of life here. The reality is, it’s not like what they see on google. There are some people who are excited about coming home to do something and after two or three years they say, “fuck it” and leave. Probably the services and structures weren’t what they were expecting but the way we live will never be the same, it’s a different context, they are supposed to make change rather than questioning the way we live. On the other hand, we have brothers and sisters who are coming back home to actually make a change by putting in work on the ground. They’re helping with tourism and the art industry. The photographers during the major events were all from Ghana and Nigeria. I hope it doesn’t end from the year of the return. BA and Delta should reduce ticket prices. The country was banging, and it really raised awareness of Africa today.
PO: You mentioned that the services and structures weren’t what some of the diaspora were expecting, do you see the need for change and if so, what type?
PC: It starts with empowerment. Going to school here to be empowered is not a thing but the youth are trying to correct the many imbalances that exist.
When we talk about class, there is nothing like a middle class here, those people in the middle are in the limbo. It’s the working class or the elite and this creates a pressure to be the best, but we don’t have all the tools, we need the right infrastructure to support young artists. I feel like it’s a mumbo jumbo here, nothing is ever planned.
Let’s encourage kids to study art, not just science or mathematics. When it comes to the working class, there should be institutions that provide workshops and internships to help give them direction. Not all of us are able to go out and say what we want to do confidently and make it. It feels like there isn’t as much support as there could be for us. For example, the movie industry doesn’t have any support when they put their money into making work. Netflix has only become active in Ghana in the past two years, even still, you have to use a VPN. If everyone came together to have their version of vogue, Sony, Warner Brothers etc it would make people think they can work in those spaces.
Not every artist or musician is an entrepreneur which is why we need institutions, people to support with writing contracts to make sure that we’re protected as artists and still able to do the work we love. Personally, before joining my agency I had found it difficult to register myself as a brand or company. For me to take my photography to the next level I needed to start a brand or join an agency. I want to get to a point where I won’t need international brands to make me feel validated in my own country. Of course, I want to travel to get exposure, but we should be looking at creating and maintaining a global village which starts at home.
Prince Cartiee Before Rangers - Backstory Series
PO: How do you feel your work is changing the world view of Ghana?
PC: I mainly capture the youth and the way they are living, and I don’t want to portray a luxurious or false image of Ghana. We don’t have wars like other countries, despite this, we are still going through a lot, but we also have life, which we are thankful for. I’m portraying the life we live; the working class and those in limbo, After all, we all eat the same waakye.
PO: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your practice?
PC: As I’ve mentioned before, I’m actually an introvert and this is quite a good time for me to think about what I want to do next. I’m using this time to critically analyse my work. I’m using this space to figure out what I can develop mentally. I’ve taken the past year to figure out what I wanted relating to my career as a photographer. I’m also getting into film - I can start to sketch this out for myself. I’m also using this time to have open talks with other creatives and people like you to discuss where we go after Aunty Coro (Coronavirus) has left. I’m still learning how to do things technically, sometimes I have ideas about shooting with the camera and they don’t always come out how I want them too, I’m keen to understand the concept of photography and how I can implement that fully in my work. Once things are grounded and ok I can look towards planning something bigger and better.
PO: What one song has been on your mind or speaks to your emotions in the current climate?
PC: It has to be Heal the World by Michael Jackson. "If we care enough for the living" we have to take all measures in keeping safe and making the world a better place.
Connect with Prince via instagram.