“This is my rendition of brotherly love, and a wishful thought of the endless possibilities in a hopeful world.”
—Carlos Idun-Tawiah
For Ghanaian artist Carlos Idun-Tawiah (b.1997), the present photograph What Are Brothers For? is a ‘statement of hope’ and a perfect expression of ‘brotherly love’. ‘Football was a big part of my childhood’ he explains, ‘it was my therapy and an escape’. For his ongoing Boys Will Always be Boys series, Idun-Tawiah captures poignant images that recreate memories of his hometown of Accra. In this monumental work, the vibrant shades of Ghana’s flag – red, yellow and green – stand out against the muted street background, and the figures’ victory pose: with the younger boy carried on his brother’s shoulders, compels the viewer to reflect on the power of kinship. As the artist notes, ‘how simple life could be if we could just see each other as family before anything else.’ Idun-Tawiah has also been the recipient of the Contemporary African Photography Prize (2023), the British Journal of Photography’s OpenWalls Arles Prize (2023) and Palm* Photo Prize People’s Choice Award (2021) as well as Belfast Photo Festival’s 2023 Spotlight Award for this project. His work has been widely published in such high-profile magazines as Vogue, GQ and the Financial Times, and as the current cover of Aperture, Issue 251.
This offering marks the artist’s debut at auction.
