Past Exhibitions
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Paa Joe: Gates of No Return
February 29–August 16, 2020
Artist and master craftsman Joseph Tetteh-Ashong (Ghanaian, born 1947), also known as Paa Joe, is the most celebrated figurative coffin maker of his generation. In the tradition of figurative coffins—or abeduu adekai (which means “proverb boxes”)—the structures represent the unique lives of the dead.
This exhibition comprises a series of large-scale, painted wood sculptures commissioned in 2004 and 2005 that represent architectural models of Gold Coast castles and forts, which served as way stations for more than six million Africans sold into slavery and sent to the Americas and the Caribbean between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Once they were forced through the “Gates of No Return,” these enslaved people started an irreversible and perilous journey during which many died. Relying on traditional techniques and materials, Joe crafts his sculptures to represent vessels ferrying the dead into the afterlife that speak to spirits separated from bodies in trauma.
In addition to the seven architectural models, the exhibition features archival documents and recordings, including photographs and short films by award-winning filmmaker Benjamin Wigley and art historian Nana Oforiatta Ayim, curator of Ghana’s 58th Pavilion for the 2019 Venice Biennale.
The High Museum’s presentation of this show also emphasizes the relationship of Paa Joe’s sculptures to both global and local histories of slavery, through a largescale map of the transatlantic slave trade researched using slavevoyages.org, a version of this timelapse video, and an Atlanta map marked with sites that played a role in slavery.
Virtual Tour
Selected Images
Click on an image below to learn more.
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Christiansborg Castle—Accra. 1661 Denmark, 1679 Portugal, 1850 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Christiansborg Castle—Accra. 1661 Denmark, 1679 Portugal, 1850 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Christiansborg Castle—Accra. 1661 Denmark, 1679 Portugal, 1850 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Peabody Essex Museum, gift of Jack Shainman GalleryChristiansborg Castle was built by the Danes in 1661 and was occupied by the Portuguese, British, Akwamus, and finally the Ghanaians in subsequent centuries. It primarily served as a depot for gold and enslaved people, who were sold through auctions in town and then taken to the castle, where they were driven through dark tunnels into dungeons to await ships to take them to the New World. Later, Christiansborg housed Ghana’s government until 2014. In 2017, Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, announced that it would be converted into a museum of leadership.
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Christiansborg Castle—Accra. 1661 Denmark, 1679 Portugal, 1850 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Christiansborg Castle—Accra. 1661 Denmark, 1679 Portugal, 1850 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Detail of Christiansborg Castle—Accra. 1661 Denmark, 1679 Portugal, 1850 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Peabody Essex Museum, gift of Jack Shainman Gallery -
Cape Coast Castle. 1653 Sweden, 1665 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Cape Coast Castle. 1653 Sweden, 1665 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Cape Coast Castle. 1653 Sweden, 1665 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
American Folk Art Museum, gift in memory of Claude SimardThe irregular polygon shape of this sculpture conveys the sprawling expanse of Cape Coast Castle, a complex that includes a large pentagonal courtyard. The castle was in English hands from 1665 until the late 1800s and was used as the West African headquarters of the British governor. After 1700, seventy thousand enslaved people were imprisoned and trafficked through this fort annually until 1807 when Britain abolished the slave trade. The site has since served as a history museum, a school, and the regional headquarters of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.
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Cape Coast Castle. 1653 Sweden, 1665 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Cape Coast Castle. 1653 Sweden, 1665 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Detail of Cape Coast Castle. 1653 Sweden, 1665 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
American Folk Art Museum, gift in memory of Claude Simard -
Fort St. Anthony—Axim. 1515 Portugal, 1642 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Fort St. Anthony—Axim. 1515 Portugal, 1642 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Fort St. Anthony—Axim. 1515 Portugal, 1642 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, courtesy of the artistFort St. Anthony was the second fort to be built by the Portuguese on the Gold Coast. In 1642, the fort was captured by the Dutch and then later in 1872 taken by the British. Fort St. Anthony was highly contested due to its mass exportation of gold and timber, and it was not prevalently used in the slave trade. Fort St. Anthony was restored in the 1950s and now serves as government and local council offices.
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Fort St. Anthony—Axim. 1515 Portugal, 1642 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Fort St. Anthony—Axim. 1515 Portugal, 1642 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Detail of Fort St. Anthony—Axim. 1515 Portugal, 1642 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, courtesy of the artist -
[Fort] Gross-Friedrichsburg—Princestown. 1683 Brandenburg, 1717–24 Ahanta, 1724 Neths, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017[Fort] Gross-Friedrichsburg—Princestown. 1683 Brandenburg, 1717–24 Ahanta, 1724 Neths, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
[Fort] Gross-Friedrichsburg—Princestown. 1683 Brandenburg, 1717–24 Ahanta, 1724 Neths, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Peabody Essex Museum, gift of Jack Shainman GalleryWhen the Prussians built Fort Gross-Friedrichsburg to compete with the Dutch West India Company, they made an agreement with the local population, the Ahanta people, that they would not sell children or women into slavery. In 1717, the Prussians sold the fort to the Dutch, while the Ahantans seized the fortification through the leadership of John Conny, a chief known for his shrewdness. The Ahantan rebellion succeeded until 1724 when the Dutch regained control.
The whitewashed facades of most European forts convey a message of white supremacy, but their paint color was also practical, as it prevented decay from the sea breeze. Whereas most of the forts represented by Paa Joe in this exhibition were positioned directly on the coastline, Fort Gross-Friedrichsburg was slightly more inland, and its stone walls were left exposed. Paa Joe captures the resulting eclecticism of its surfaces using a surprisingly bright color palette that harks back to his fantasy coffins.
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[Fort] Gross-Friedrichsburg—Princestown. 1683 Brandenburg, 1717–24 Ahanta, 1724 Neths, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017[Fort] Gross-Friedrichsburg—Princestown. 1683 Brandenburg, 1717–24 Ahanta, 1724 Neths, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Detail of [Fort] Gross-Friedrichsburg—Princestown. 1683 Brandenburg, 1717–24 Ahanta, 1724 Neths, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Peabody Essex Museum, gift of Jack Shainman Gallery -
Fort St. Sebastian—Shama. 1520s Portuguese, 1638 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Fort St. Sebastian—Shama. 1520s Portuguese, 1638 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Fort St. Sebastian—Shama. 1520s Portuguese, 1638 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, courtesy of the artistFort St. Sebastian is the third-oldest fortification in Ghana. The Portuguese built this fort in hopes of stopping English ships from trading in the Shama area, a small fishing village on the Western coast of Ghana. Dutch West India Company records confirm that the site was utilized in the trade of both enslaved people and gold but at a lower volume than some of the other sites memorialized here. To put this into perspective, the Dutch trafficked a little over half a million people between the years 1500 and 1850, while the Portuguese were responsible for enslaving more than 5.8 million people during this time. Between 1872 and 1956, the fort sat unoccupied and fell into disrepair. In 1957, the building was restored to its Dutch period design and has been used in present times as a post office and magistrate court.
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Fort St. Sebastian—Shama. 1520s Portuguese, 1638 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Fort St. Sebastian—Shama. 1520s Portuguese, 1638 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Detail of Fort St. Sebastian—Shama. 1520s Portuguese, 1638 Netherlands, 1872 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, courtesy of the artist -
Fort Patience—Apam. 1697 Netherlands, 1868 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Fort Patience—Apam. 1697 Netherlands, 1868 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Fort Patience—Apam. 1697 Netherlands, 1868 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, courtesy of the artistFort Patience began as a small Dutch fort on the coast of Apam, Ghana. The initial structure was a two-story house that served as both a male and female prison. Nearly nine hundred enslaved people were forced through its gates in 1705, marking the height of its human trafficking. In present times, Fort Patience has served as a police station, a post office, and, currently, a hostel.
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Fort Patience—Apam. 1697 Netherlands, 1868 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Fort Patience—Apam. 1697 Netherlands, 1868 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017Paa Joe (Ghanaian, born 1947)
Detail of Fort Patience—Apam. 1697 Netherlands, 1868 Britain, 2004–2005 and 2017
Emele wood and enamel
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, courtesy of the artist
“I had to travel many times to the sites, looking at them carefully before making them. These are pieces that you have to travel afar to watch and come back to make. They are about the identity of humanity. Their lasting message is that we can’t maltreat our fellow humans.” –Paa Joe
Paa Joe, photo courtesy of Benjamin Wigley
Paa Joe was fifteen years old when he began a twelve-year apprenticeship with his mother’s cousin, Kane Kwei (1922–1992), who is recognized as the first to popularize the use of figurative coffins for burial. After he left Kwei’s workshop, Paa Joe went to the coast for two years to carve boats, raising the money needed to open his own business, Paa Joe Coffin Works, in Nungua in 1976. Since then, he has created more than two thousand coffins and trained young artists such as Daniel Mensah, Eric Kpakpo, and Kudjoe Affutu, all of whom have become successful figurative coffin makers. Paa Joe paints his wood sculptures himself or outsources the job to other artists in his workshop. Among his regular collaborators is the sign painter Daniel Anum Jasper, who notably worked on Paa Joe’s 2004–2005 castles and forts. In 2008, Paa Joe relocated his company to Pobiman, in the Greater Accra region.
The Harrowing Journey into Slavery
Between 1525 and 1866, 12.5 million Africans were captured and trafficked to the New World. The map below retraces some of the documented routes taken from the seven slave forts represented in this exhibition based on research at Emory University’s interactive slave voyages web database and the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. The fortresses, which were nicknamed “slave castles,” were overcrowded, dark prisons where Africans were held captive while they waited for ships to arrive to bring them to North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Around 6.9 million enslaved people were trafficked to Latin America or the Caribbean, while half a million people were sent to North America. Brazil was the final destination for most enslaved Africans, as the Portuguese required massive amounts of forced labor for their colonial sugar and mining economies.
Click the image below to see the full-size map.
Press
The Guardian | “Black History Month: the best 2020 exhibitions across the US”
ArtsATL | “At the High Museum, coffin maker Paa Joe will share sculptures to recall the enslaved”
Atlanta Journal Constitution | “High Museum show examines Africa’s slave trade castles”
WABE, City Lights | “High Museum’s ‘Gates Of No Return’ Features Craftsman Paa Joe”
Forbes | “Starting Blocks For Transatlantic Slave Trade Explored By Artist Paa Joe At High Museum Of Art”
Apollo Magazine | “Paa Joe: Gates of No Return”
Burnaway | “Proverb Boxes: Paa Joe at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta”
Related
Atlanta Map Interactive,
Atlanta Map Interactive
Transatlantic Slave Trade Visualization,
Transatlantic Slave Trade Visualization
BLOG: The Gates of No Return: Paa Joe’s Foreboding Fortresses and Their Darker Connections to Atlanta,
BLOG: The Gates of No Return: Paa Joe’s Foreboding Fortresses and Their Darker Connections to Atlanta
This exhibition is organized by the American Folk Art Museum, New York.
This exhibition is made possible by
Premier Exhibition Series Sponsor
Exhibition Series Sponsors
Premier Exhibition Series Supporters
The Antinori Foundation
Sarah and Jim Kennedy
Louise Sams and Jerome Grilhot
Benefactor Exhibition Series Supporter
Anne Cox Chambers Foundation
Ambassador Exhibition Supporters
Tom and Susan Wardell
Rod Westmoreland
Contributing Exhibition Series Supporters
Lucinda W. Bunnen
Marcia and John Donnell
W. Daniel Ebersole and Sarah Eby-Ebersole
Peggy Foreman
Robin and Hilton Howell
Mr. and Mrs. Baxter Jones
Joel Knox and Joan Marmo
Margot and Danny McCaul
The Ron and Lisa Brill Family Charitable Trust
Generous support is also provided by
Alfred and Adele Davis Exhibition Endowment Fund, Anne Cox Chambers Exhibition Fund, Barbara Stewart Exhibition Fund, Dorothy Smith Hopkins Exhibition Endowment Fund, Eleanor McDonald Storza Exhibition Endowment Fund, The Fay and Barrett Howell Exhibition Fund, Forward Arts Foundation Exhibition Endowment Fund, Helen S. Lanier Endowment Fund, Isobel Anne Fraser–Nancy Fraser Parker Exhibition Endowment Fund, John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Exhibition Endowment Fund, Katherine Murphy Riley Special Exhibition Endowment Fund, Margaretta Taylor Exhibition Fund, and the RJR Nabisco Exhibition Endowment Fund.