Awanle Ayiboro Hawa Ali
Awanle Ayiboro Hawa Ali (Ghanaian, b. 1997) is a visual artist focused on creating art based on the experiences of the African woman in a patriarchal society. Born into a strict muslim family as the first female child of her nuclear family, there had always been unrealistic societal expectations and pressure on her concerning ‘settling down’ and having children. However, Awanle, does not believe in the institution of marriage and its limitation to a woman’s worth; she paints with the intent of defying the standards set for women like her. Hawa aims to achieve her goals of becoming an artist who will be known for generations to come. She has always been interested in the visual arts, but could not grow her skills due to lack of interest from her parents who influenced her to follow a career in General Arts and the Humanities. However, various instances where she unknowingly gravitated towards the visual art scene and artist mentors caused her to rebel and decide on pursuing a career as an artist and defying standards that were not hers to begin with. Hawa is determined to portray these experiences through her art and as a result inspire many women to break free from societal limitations. She currently works with Artemartis, an art collective in Accra, where she spends time researching, experimenting and painting.
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