Contemporary African Art

Nii Hylton's Biography

Born in Akuse, Ghana in 1978, Nii Hylton left his home country in 2004 to pursue an art career. Attending Truman State University in Missouri, USA, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts. During his first year at the University, Nii won the President's Honorary Scholarship Award in Academic Excellence and the Art Assistance Scholarship for his skills as an artist.

Since then, Nii has won numerous honors for his artwork & has a strong international audience for his contemporary African paintings, reaching numerous private collections and exhibits in Europe & the USA.

Before studying in the United States, this African artist was busy still developing his craft in Black art paintings. In 2002, he completed his education in Graphic Design and Painting from Ghanatta College of Art and Design, an institution that has produced some excellent Ghanaian artists. In fact, since 2012, Nii has been a catapult to finding other gifted Ghanaian African artists, of whom we have several.

Nii Hylton paints both traditional and contemporary styles through subjects that are cultural and social, using a palette knife for texture. His realism and abstraction are combined with acrylic and oil pastel on canvas.

Read Nii's Resume that lists his
accomplishments and exhibitions.

Our Interview with Ghanaian
Painter Nii Hylton:

True African Art : What is the process of painting like for you-what's going through your mind?

Nii Hylton: The process is fast, the subject is Africa, and what's going through my mind is what I am feeling at that moment.

What are some of the messages that are within your paintings?

They are vast. Usually the message revolves around music and dance...entertainment.

Have your travels changed what you paint?

No, not at all. My style is what it has been.

Has your education changed what you paint?

No, I stay true to what's in my head and heart.

What advice would you give to other artists?

What British artist, Banksy, said...something along the lines of: "Spend less time making the painting so people can spend more time admiring it.

What is one of your goals as an artist?

To prove to others, through my art, that taking up the profession of an artist is in fact commendable and something that someone can be successful at.

Do you have other artists you look up to?

To be very honest, no. I look up to myself!

What does Ghana mean to you?

My country is the foundation and inspiration of what I portray as an artist.

What is your Ghanaian family's reaction to your ambition as an artist?

In Ghana, my family consists of some doctors and engineers. So for me to want to be an artist was different. I had to make sure that if I wanted to be an artist that it was the right thing. And I had to make sure that if I left to pursue my work that I would come back with good results. When they see my artwork though, they are amazed.

- Read Nii's Resume that list his artwork's accomplishments and exhibitions -




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