Just one door from the Park Hyatt hotel on West 57th street in Midtown Manhattan, there is a small gallery adorned with vibrant paintings filled with geometric shapes and totems reminiscent of Ghanian culture along its walls.
Enter the Park Hyatt’s restaurant and lounge area, dubbed “The Living Room” and the same style of art hangs on the back wall, making for a cosmopolitan atmosphere as hotel visitors mix and mingle over food and drink.
Who can be credited for these wonderful works of art? Jeffrey Okyere-Agyei, professional painter and the Park Hyatt’s very own bellman. SANKOFA is the name of Jeffrey’s newest exhibit and is currently on display at the Park Hyatt hotel. The hotel threw a party in honor of Jeffrey’s new collection, as well as the release of his first coffee table book titled under the same name. The book features the entirety of the collection as well as a recounting of his artistic career and journey thus far.
Jeffrey is a life-long artist but only began to consider taking his talent into the professional realm about ten years ago, after the birth of his daughter. Having spent the majority of his career in hospitality, it was during this time he realized he felt his best when engaged in the act of creating. After receiving encouragement from his friends and family, Jeffrey took the leap towards turning his hobby into a career. “I think the transition was really when friends and family told me, hey, we think you have something here. And then I really started pushing for it,” Jeffrey shared at the reception. “Obviously you have to do the whole gallery thing, a bunch of no’s, but I didn’t really care. I just kept going. And eventually when I turned the spotlight inwards to really look within, that’s when I began to realize holy crap, I can really do this. I don’t have to worry about what somebody thinks my art is or what it’s not and that’s when I really saw that shift in my art changing. I talk about this a bit in the book.”
What sets Jeffrey apart from other artists on the scene is his background. He is self-represented and in turn, a champion of self-advocation. His hospitality career gave him the opportunity to present his work to the Park Hyatt, and they quickly caught on to his talent and the chance to showcase it to the world. SANKOFA is Jeffrey’s fourth exhibition and is currently on display in the Park Hyatt’s gallery space and restaurant. To learn more about Jeffrey and his art, visit his website here. SANKOFA is currently available for purchase.
Photo credits: EDSHOTS NYC