In Conversation: Kwesi Botchway and Jacqueline ‘Jac’ Forbes
Vielmetter Los Angeles is excited to announce Be Your Own Cool, an exhibition of new works by Ghanaian artist Kwesi Botchway. On view from July 19 to September 13, this exhibition marks Botchway’s second solo presentation with the gallery. We invite guests to join us July 19th from 2:30 - 3:30pm for a conversation between Kwesi Botchway and and gallerist and arts executive Jacqueline ‘Jac’ Forbes before the opening of the exhibition.This recent series of paintings was created during a focused residency in Los Angeles earlier this spring and represents a shift in both scale and mood. Botchway, known for his vivid portrayals of Black identity infused with psychological depth and vibrant colors, adopts an introspective approach in this body of work.In Be Your Own Cool, Botchway continues to evolve his signature style, where realism and stylization intersect, while also deepening the emotional complexity of Black portraiture. His use of rich tones and nuanced expressions allows his subjects to stand out against tranquil backgrounds dramatically. Each figure is presented not just as a muse, but also as a symbol of quiet dignity. By juxtaposing contemporary styles with a classical sense of fashion, these paintings emphasize Black individuals and their unique choices in hairstyles, clothing, and personal flair. These details intentionally reflect cultural identity and celebrate the evolution and significance of contemporary Black life.
Kwesi Botchway (b. 1994, Accra, Ghana) lives and works in Accra and Belgium. Botchway is the founder of Worldfaze Art Practice, a contemporary art studio and residency based in Accra that supports emerging Ghanaian artists and fosters experimental practices in art. He studied art at the Ghanatta College of Art and Design in Accra before enrolling at the Academy of Visual Arts in Frankfurt, Germany. Over the past decade, Botchway has exhibited his paintings internationally and held solo exhibitions in Denmark, Ghana, the UK, Belgium, and the United States. His work is included in such collections as the Arsenal Art Centre in Canada, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL,National Gallery of Victoria Melbourne,Vanhaerents Art Collection, Belgium, the Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, Israel,The Bunker Collection and Tia Collection.
Jacqueline ‘Jac’ Forbes is a visionary gallerist, cultural strategist, creative producer, and arts executive dedicated to inclusive storytelling, public engagement, and global arts programming. With over 20 years of experience across contemporary art, television production, and cultural placemaking, she is the Founder of Jac Forbes Contemporary, a gallery, curatorial spaces, and consultancy advancing culture through public art, exhibitions, and strategic partnerships.
She has produced landmark projects including the U.S. solo debut of Nelson Makamo, co-founded the acclaimed Botho Art Collective art fair, and served as a strategic advisor to institutions such as AMGEN. Forbes has held curatorial leadership at Rele Gallery and currently serves on the Arts in California Parks Advisory Committee, the board of Worldfaze Art Practice in Ghana, and is a member of the Hammer Circle at the Hammer Museum.
Her cross-sector work bridges curatorial vision with community, amplifying the voices of artists from the African diaspora, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian communities through innovative, site-responsive cultural programming.