What Is This?

Much like the Chinese concept of Chi, Àshe represents the spiritual life force that flows through all. And given that this body of work was birthed through what I call Flow – my meditative process of creating fluid lines in a slow, focused way, often with no predetermined goal in mind – I couldn’t help but feel that it was all Àshe incarnate. So in many ways, Àshe is Flow.

Furthermore, the style draws from the essence of Afrikan alphabets and symbology, to create this Àshe inspired dynamic nexus of line movements, which symbolize the deep feeling of interconnectedness with all life; a feeling that is experienced when one is fully present, here and now. Elements of Adinkra, Bantu, Vai, Mende, Nsibidi, and several other Afrikan symbols and syllabaries are blended into many of the pieces in this style, with the intention of exposing them to a wider audience. The hope is to help educate viewers in some way about the depth, profundity, and expressive beauty of Afrika's largely overlooked writing systems and our wrongly denigrated rich history.

In the words of Saki Mafundikwa, Zimbabwean graphic designer, and founder of Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts:

"Afrikan alphabets are a way of expressing ideas, systems of thought, thought processes, cultural imperatives, aesthetic preferences, and spirit. Afrikan alphabets are one of the important keys to help unlock what has been kept hidden from so many for so long: that these alphabets with their deeply meaningful graphic construction show the intelligence and ingenuity of Afrikan peoples."
In combining the concept of Àshe, my meditative process of Flow and Afrikan symbology in this way, I have discovered something which I wish connects with the Àshe in you. I hope you help spread this knowledge and art form by sharing a link to this website and/or purchasing a piece in this style, thank you.

Who Am I?

This story and evolving body of work was created by Isaac Opoku, a Ghanaian interactive designer and mixed media artist whose work is primarily inspired by a deep sense of interconnectedness with all life. His style, often afrocentric & quite psychedelic, usually employs an abstract twist, which seeks to engender a sense of wonder in a viewer’s mind, challenge conventional perspectives and also demonstrate the power of imagination. Though his work explores various political & relevant social themes on occasion, it is also usually evocative of art as play, art as meditation, art as being.