Family Photographs

In 2019, after high school, Reginald Boateng's father gave him an iPhone 6s Plus. That gift is where his photography began, according to African Digital Art, which reports that he was born in Accra in 1999.

Seven years on, the photographs have brought him an award. At the Absa L'Atelier Art & Lifestyle Fair at Waterfall City Park in South Africa on 10 October, Boateng was announced as one of three 2026 Ambassador Award recipients, according to MyJoyOnline. The South African release carried by Bizcommunity lists him as the Group A winner, for Ghana, alongside Emmanuel Chisenga of Zambia and Segun Owolabi of Nigeria.

He shares the coverage with another Ghanaian artist. Ezra Appiah opens a solo exhibition in Accra built from family photographs, and the Ghana News Agency reports both stories. The Ghana News Agency says its account rests on a release shared with it. This story describes the work from those published accounts and links to them. We have not seen the work in person, and we show none of it here.

The exhibition is called Family Album: A New and a Reborn Version. It runs from 7 to 27 November 2026 at The Mix Design Hub in Accra, according to MyJoyOnline. Absa's own L'Atelier page lists the same dates and venue and points readers to Absa Group's social media for updates. DailyGuide Network's exhibition details give entry as free.

According to MyJoyOnline, Appiah draws on childhood memories and archival family photographs to examine how people remember and make sense of family life. Through montage, the report says, he brings past and present together, "looking beyond the moments traditionally preserved in family albums to consider the relationships and experiences that often remain unseen."

That sentence is where a photographer's reading starts. An album holds the moments someone chose to photograph. The report places Appiah's attention beyond those moments. DailyGuide Network adds that the work asks audiences to reflect on how photographs preserve memories while also shaping the stories families tell about themselves.

Appiah comes to the show with training and a record of exhibiting. Citi Newsroom reports that Appiah was born in Sekondi-Takoradi, is based in Kumasi, and completed a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) in Painting at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 2022. He is a member of the blaxTARLINES collective and has exhibited in Ghana and internationally. MyJoyOnline says this is his first solo exhibition with Absa L'Atelier Art in Ghana. It follows a two-month residency at the Kromdraai Creativity and Impact Hub in South Africa.

Appiah described the work in his own words, as quoted by the Ghana News Agency: "I saw a reflection of self, a reliving of personal experiences that I then translated to thoughts and showed through visuals." Accra will have three weeks to look.

Boateng's path runs through different subjects. MyJoyOnline describes him as a photographer and environmental activist who draws inspiration from Ghanaian kente colours and coastal life. His work Our Water Turns Red was displayed at this year's Fair, and the same report says it uses red water to draw attention to the environmental damage caused by illegal gold mining in Ghana.

His artist statement, as quoted by African Digital Art, is about colour itself: "As an artist, I explore the dynamic interplay of colors—how they mix, interact, and influence one another." The same site writes about one of his images, taken in Dansoman, a suburb of Accra, that "juxtaposes a bold subject against an urban backdrop."

For Boateng, the award brings time and support as well as recognition. According to MyJoyOnline, it includes four months of mentorship with a leading visual arts practitioner, an international residency with the other two 2026 Ambassadors, masterclasses and a laptop. It also gives him the opportunity to stage a solo exhibition in 2028. The published figures for that exhibition differ. MyJoyOnline reports that Absa will contribute $6,000 towards materials. The South African release on Bizcommunity says each Ambassador Award winner receives R100,000 towards material costs. We have not confirmed which figure applies to Boateng's show.

Behind both artists sits the same programme. Citi Newsroom reports that Absa L'Atelier Art was established in 1986 through a partnership between Absa and the South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA), and calls it the longest-running pan-African art competition. Dr Paul Bayliss, Absa's Senior Art and Museum Curator, said of the two Ghanaians: "Their distinct perspectives demonstrate the strength of Ghanaian artistic talent and why we continue to invest in opportunities for emerging African artists." He speaks for Absa, a competition partner.

Two masterclasses in Accra are part of the programme as well, according to the Ghana News Agency. A session for artists takes place on 5 November at the Absa Ghana Regional Office. A session for art buyers follows on 7 November at The Mix Design Hub.

We cannot yet say what the montages look like on the wall, which photographs Appiah chose, or whose lives they hold. Only the room can show that. In the lines the Ghana News Agency quoted, Appiah also said what he hopes visitors will take from it.

"So I hope everyone sees what I see."

“I saw a reflection of self, a reliving of personal experiences that I then translated to thoughts and showed through visuals.”

1. DailyGuide Network: Celebrating Ghana's Artistic Excellence
2. MyJoyOnline: Absa Bank spotlights Ezra Appiah's solo exhibition at L'Atelier event
3. Citi Newsroom: ABSA spotlights Ghanaian Artists Ezra Appiah and Reginald Boateng
4. Ghana News Agency: Ghanaian artists Appiah, Boateng shine as Absa L'Atelier marks 40 years
5. Absa L'Atelier Art (official page)
6. Bizcommunity: 2026 Absa L'Atelier winners announced as competition celebrates 40 years of African art
7. African Digital Art: Reginald Kofi Boateng's World of Color