January 26, 2016
Ghanaian Artist’s Fusion of African Art and Black American Celebrities Goes Viral
If you haven’t seen the depiction of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West as African royalty circulating social media, you may be living under a rock.
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The man behind the creations is Dennis Owusu-Ansah, a New York-based artist whose roots are in Ghana, and his works have gone viral.
His latest is Empire star and Golden Globe winner Taraji P. Henson, wearing traditional Masai garb, and he’s reimagined other entertainment, political, and pop culture stars including President Barack Obama, Nicki Minaj, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Chris Brown, Jay Z, and Beyoncé.
Owusu-Ansah boasts more than 17,000 followers on Instagram and has gotten offers for commissioning artwork featuring sports stars such as Kobe Bryant and more. His work is also part of a line of sweatshirts and T-shirts featuring traditional African prints from across the continent, mixed with contemporary designs. View more of his work via his Instagram page.