AMBA GALLERY owner, Mr. Amadu Baba visits ArchiAfrika Pavillion at Venice Architecture biennale

Mr. Amadu Baba, the owner of AMBA GALLERY has visited the ArchiAfrika Pavillion at the ongoing Venice Architecture biennale, where the ‘New Blood 2021′ exhibition is currently running. 

‘New Blood 2021’  is putting the spotlight on 10 young Architects that he believes will have a major impact on the African Architecture scene for years to come.

Amadu Baba is a patron of the arts and architecture, as well as a good friend and collaborator of the chairman of ArchiAfrika, Joe Osae-Addo. The two have initiated quite a few projects together over the years. Their latest collaboration will see Mr. Baba commission young Architects, featured in the New Blood exhibition, to design eco-houses on his personal island property in the Vota River near Akosombo.

Joe Addo and Amadu Baba take selfie at remarkable 3D printed concrete bridge by ZaHa Hadi Architects

This will give these young talents the opportunity to showcase their talents in reality and be the pioneers for Mr. Baba’s planned eco-community at his retreat. In the life of most young architects, your early commissions are often career defining ! Joe Osae-Addo believes in supporting young creatives by creating a client class to support and pay for their services and product. He will be mandating that each house be built from his own bamboo prefab panels that he is launching in Ghana soon. Joe Addo is a shareholder in the Centric Ltd, which has the patents to transform a specific bamboo species into organic structural insulated panels (SIPs). This is not Joe Addo’s first venture into the sustainable construction materials arena. Decades ago, together with his late American partner and colleague, they brought in foreign investment to establish a Pozzolana Cement Factory in the central region of Ghana.

New Decade by Derrick. O. Boateng by Amba Gallery

Mr. Baba Amadu was a key buyer of Pozzolana cement for his conference manufacturing business all those decades ago, and is again teaming up with Joe Addo in promoting his prefab bamboo panels for a whole new generation of home designers and builders as a contribution to the international environmental stance on CO2 emissions . Recently, Amba Gallery has opened a new branch at the Kempinski Galleria showcasing new artists in their very well designed and appointed Gallery which is now going to showcase its first Architecture exhibition early next year.

New Decade by Derrick. O. Boateng by Amba Gallery

Amba Gallery a contemporary gallery and creative space designed with the intent to exhibit, promote and educate diverse audiences about the provenance of African art history and design. This new art gallery in the heart of Accra represents part of the vast private Pan-African art collection of Mr. Amadu Baba, a Ghanaian businessman, passionate about the preservation of African art – ancient design modalities particularly wooden sculpture, bronze as well as, handwoven antique textiles; Kente, mud cloth and batik. A collection spanning over four decades, the brand name is a synthesis of the first two letters in Mr. Amadu Baba’s names [phonetically pronounced Am-ba) ‘Amba Gallery’.

This name also references the color amba reflected in the use of terracotta within the gallery walls. Whilst ‘terracotta’, originates from the Italian translation literally meaning: ‘baked’ or ‘cooked earth’, the deep orange organic hue has rich global history including to china. The ethereal pigment is also famously referenced in vernacular architectural edifices indigenous to West and Northern Africa particularly the great Mosque of Djenné in Mali and among the Dogon people.

New Decade by Derrick. O. Boateng by Amba Gallery

ArchiAfrika was founded in 2001 by a group of architects who, through the development of educational opportunity and economic growth on the continent, were eager to re-define the urban landscape of the African city.

ArchiAfrika’s vision has since evolved into broadening the discourse on Africa’s built environment to encompass the role of socio- cultural design inspired development. Its goal is to promote design strategies developed within the continent, which address the challenges of our future and engage the next generation of professionals.