Born in Teshie, on the coast of Ghana, Eric Adjetey Anang began helping his family in the carpentry workshop at the age of eight. He joined the family business, Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop, as an apprentice following high school, and assumed leadership of the shop at twenty. Anang is a third generation coffin-maker and, along with his father and apprentices, passionately stewards his family’s legacy as he refines and elevates this culturally significant art form.

Anang’s work has been shown in exhibitions across West Africa and Europe and is held in private collections across the globe. Since 2008, Anang has participated in a dozen residencies, conducted workshops, and has been featured in multiple documentaries worldwide. He maintains a dual-residency in Madison, Wisconsin and at Teshie, where he continues to produce coffins for funerary patrons, art collectors, and museum collections, including the University of Iowa Museum of Art.

Public Lecture: Dr. Lynn Larsen, PhD and Eric Adjetey Anang, Friday, February 28, 2020, WCAD 101

Images:
Above: Eric Adjetey Anang, Wingtip Shoe, Fantasy Coffin
Below: Workshop with family members and assistants, left to right: Fred Agbe, Daniel Adjei, Eric Adjetey Anang, Earnest “Cedi” Anang Kwei, Charles Nii Adjei Klu, Dennis Ablorh, Elias Sowah, and Emmanuel Adjetey.