Some artists capture light, and then some become it. Kwame Koda is undoubtedly the latter. The Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist known for his alluring photography, bold fashion sensibility, and striking directorial vision has built a body of work that’s less about medium and more about message.
Koda’s creative journey began with a humble Samsung phone in high school, but even then, his eye saw the world through a visionary lens. Photography became his language, his refuge and it wasn’t long before fashion became another extension of his art. SHORE, his debut clothing brand, was born out of solitude on the beaches of Accra. “I used to go to the shore to think. That space, that stillness, translated into design. Fashion, for me, is energy in motion.”
And then there are his images sun-drenched, decadent, and undeniably alive. Koda doesn’t just photograph people. He illuminates them. Through warm tones, saturated colors, and emotive staging, his portraits evoke more than beauty, they pulse with feeling. You don’t just see them; you sense them.
As a creator of diverse artworks, Koda knew exactly what he had unleashed immediately he wrapped up for Stonebwoy’s 5th Dimension album cover project. And true to his word the internet caught fire. The imagery was bold and cinematic. What people didn’t see was the urgency behind the masterpiece. “We got the concept the day before. Nothing felt right until I changed the lighting,” Koda recalls. “The moment I did, the entire set lit up, We all knew it was the shot.”
That same intuitive force guides his directorial work, which includes music videos for Fameye, Patoranking, KiDi, Kwesi Arthur, and more. He’s directed more than 14 videos including visuals for international acts like Omah Lay and Ninho fusing cinematic aesthetics with raw storytelling.
And if there’s one constant motif in Koda’s universe, it’s the sun. From Suntopia, an art festival for young creatives, to Sunman, his deeply personal photography exhibition, the celestial body isn’t just a metaphor, it’s his muse. “People say the sky is the limit, but I’m reaching for the sun. To me, the sun is greatness. It’s the promise I live for every day.” Suntopia is his call to creatives to own their space. Sunman is something else entirely an intimate monologue with himself.
Despite his calm online presence, Koda reveals a different side when the curtain drops. “I’m much crazy in real life, especially with my goals and ideas.,” he says. “My world is mostly filled with color… art that I hate, and art that I keep for myself..”
His most outlandish project to date? The Likor video for KiDi. It was a 24-hour shoot. Rain, mosquitoes, a half-built maze and lost footage but the beauty of it, is that it stretched him.
Through it all, one piece of advice anchors him: Stay curious. Never stop learning. That’s the only way to stay grounded. The moment you think you know too much, you’ve already stopped growing.”
And so he rises again and again. Not because he’s chasing the light, but because he is the sun.
RV Unmute got up close and personally in this thrilling interview with Kwame Koda
RV: Who is Kwame Koda? How did your passion for Photography and Fashion start?
KK: Kwame Koda is a multidisciplinary artist, mainly known for practicing photography and directing, as well as installation art. My passion for photography started early in high school, when I started taking pictures with a Samsung phone, I felt the world was heading into a digital era so I had to find a way to express my art digitally, and photography absolutely helped me with that. Fashion was also another means to which I could express myself artistically, I actually started a clothing brand called “SHORE”. I used to find myself at the beach a lot on weekends, reflecting on life, and that ushered me into transferring that energy I felt from the shore’s of Accra into my love for Fashion and using it as a means to express art.
RV: Your images are mostly pop, vibrant and full of color. As an artistic person what informed your decision for the choice of your style?
KK: I always loved the way dark skin looks like under the warm sunset, it was as if you could almost taste chocolate on a dark skin whenever I had a subject stand in the warmth of the sun. The use of the vibrant colors and the warmth of light influenced my enthusiasm for this particular style to photograph my images. I believe every photograph needs to bring you some sort of emotion, using popping colors and vibrant colors helps me bring that feeling of raw emotion and energy to my audience.
RV: The 5th dimension album artwork you did for Stonebwoy caught a big buzz online. Masterpieces like this are birthed and not just made. How did you go about it with the team from planning to execution and did you ever think it was going to catch this much attention?
KK: The 5th Dimension artwork was brought to me a day before we actually shot it, so planning and execution had to be done swiftly and with the right amount of attention to detail. On the set we had a couple of references but I wasn’t feeling my touch in it, till I changed the warmth of the lights and went ahead to let my creative energy flow through the camera. At that point I knew within me that it was going to be the ultimate eye catcher and everybody on the set could absolutely feel it!
RV: Outside photography you’ve directed music videos for Fameye and Kidi, What was it like? How did you get into directing and are there other video projects you’ve directed as well?
KK: I did manifest my step into the music video space. The year before I started making music videos, I made the announcement that I was going to start directing music videos, my first opportunity at directing music videos was for Kwesi Arthur’s Pain Interlude. I truly believe with God by my side I can literally do anything so I don’t hesitate when the opportunity comes. Over the span of 2 years I have directed more than 14 music videos for the likes of musicians such as D-Black, Fameye, PatoRanking, StoneBwoy, Twitch4EVA and also produced some music videos for international acts such as Ninho, Omah Lay, L2B Gang and many others. It has absolutely been a wonderful experience so far!
RV: “Suntopia”, “Sunman”. The common word found in both names is the word “Sun” can you tell us the story behind it, what the Sun means to you and why it is evident in these two names? Briefly run us through your event “Suntopia”
KK: People often say that the sky is the limit, but I aspire to go beyond the sky and to touch the sun, as such, the sun represents a lot more to me, To me, the sun is goal to be achieved, a promise of greatness that I live everyday to fulfill, and that is why it is very evident in everything I do, and (with) everything I do, it must be big and great, just like the Sun. Suntopia event is a new baby that I am introducing, it is going to be an art festival, something specifically for creatives, it’s time to hone our craft and own our space, and that is the reason for Suntopia Art Festival.
RV: You recently announced the Sunman Photography Exhibition. How and when did you have the idea for the exhibition? What does one expect to see at the Sunman Photography exhibition ( that is quite different from other photography exhibitions)? And when is it taking place?
KK: Sunman Photography Exhibition is a personal one, I have always had exhibitions showing my art for the purpose of driving a message to the public. Sunman is basically me talking to myself, it is me making demands with the expectations of greatness from Kwame Koda the “Sun Man”. This is not going to be a dialogue anymore, it’s going to be a monologue and I intend to inspire and motivate people through this to also find themselves and manifest their inner greatness, whilst seeking peace and freedom from mental slavery.
RV: What’s your thoughts on dandyism and it being the theme for the 2025 MET Gala? If you had the chance to style, photograph or direct any of the guests who attended this year’s event who would it be. ( Who would you rather style? Who would you rather photograph? and Who would you rather direct?).
KK: I love the idea of dandyism, I love the ability to use fashion to make a bold statement about oneself, we often get lost and trapped in world of so much chaos and distractions that we need to pause and enjoy the taste of luxury in itself. If I had the chance, I would have probably loved to style Damson Idriss and absolutely photograph the look as well.
RV: Let’s get a little personal. You seem like a pretty chill, reserved guy online. But we’d want you to be brutally honest with us. Who exactly is Kwame Koda outside all of these?
KK: Outside of my public image or public presence, I’d say I’m much crazy in real life, especially with my goals and ideas. I expect so much from myself and I’m very much willing to do whatever it takes to achieve them before I leave this world. My world is mostly filled with color, chaos with the opposite sex, art that I hate, and art that I keep for myself. I mostly step out alone into public spaces just to sit down with my thoughts and enjoy the noise that floats around me. My personal life makes no sense at all, and I have learnt to be quite about it and watch everything happen right in-front of my eyes like a film with just one seat at a cinema.
RV: What’s the most out of the box project you’ve worked on that challenged you out of your comfort zone.
KK: It might probably be “Likor” Music Video for KiDi, I remember we started work at 6am and finished at 6am the very following day. We built half a maze and had rain throughout the afternoon. I came back home with mosquito bites all over my body and we even lost some of the files from the shoot the next day. That was the most challenging thing I had ever experienced.
RV: What’s a piece of advice you’ve received that you’d like to pass on (both personally and career wise?)
KK: The best piece of advice I have ever received is to; “Stay curious and never stop learning”. You may experience so much challenges in life, as well as so much wins that you may sometimes get ahead of yourself and think you know too well, I have learnt that it is always important to stay grounded and keep learning and unlearning as time goes on.
