Dearly Departed
BY SACKITEY TESA & OLDY BLAQ
Sackitey’s project, in collaboration with Ghanaian artist Oldy Blaq, explores the impact of consumerism and waste on the environment. Visiting dumpsites and seashores, they collected discarded objects once cherished by people and turned them into human-like “monsters.” These colourful sculptures, created from items such as plastic packaging, reflect the discarded remnants of consumer culture. The final images, shot in residential locations across the city, place the “monsters” against the walls of homes, bringing these discarded products back to the community. This project serves as a powerful reminder of how our waste poisons nature and shapes our identities.
ABOUT SACKITEY
Hailing from Accra, Ghana, Sackitey Tesa Mate-Kodjo is a self-thought artist who focusses primarily on conceptual photography. With this medium, he reinterprets his surroundings and communicates his ideas and emotions. Everyday life, universal experiences, and symbolism across different cultures inspire his storytelling images. Through styling and prop-making, different elements are combined and create new perspectives.
Growing up in a creative household, the artist and his siblings helped their mother make costumes and stage props. As such, fashion and hands-on-making played an important role early on. After completing a degree in Business Administration, Sackitey felt the need to document his thought process and started experimenting with photography. In his conceptual work, he has taken on many roles and will keep an open mind practicing between different creative fields.