PAA JOE: FANTASY COFFINS

8 Holland Street announces the showcase of PAA JOE works running at the Kensington gallery from 15 November to 24 January 2026.

On view is a collection of Sculptures in the form of Maquette's based from coffin designs. Each piece is hand-carved and hand painted in Ghana from Paa Joe's own coffin production business, Paa Joe Coffin Works, in Pobimanin Greater Accra. In this capsule collection sits a Nokia, Cigarette, Walkman and Coke Bottle alongside the new exhibition, 8 Holland Street SALON 2025.

Master craftsman Paa Joe is known for his figurative fantasy coffins that embody Ghanaian traditions and beliefs about life and death. Known as abeduu adeka , or “proverb boxes,” these end-of-life vessels take the form of an array of living and inanimate objects, from sea creatures to cars to Air Jordans. Paa Joe’s wooden coffins are utilitarian, but he has quickly gained recognition within the art world.

In 1989, his work was featured in the “Magiciens de la Terre” exhibit at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In 2018, his coffins were shown at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Born Joseph Tetteh-Ashong, Paa Joe has painted more than 2,000 coffins in his lifetime and trained young artists in this distinct art form.