At the age of 1 year 152 days, little Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah from Ghana is the world’s youngest male artist.
His mum Chantelle, also an artist, discovered Ace-Liam’s passion for painting when he was just 6 months old.
“While learning to crawl, I spread out a piece of unstretched canvas on the floor and dropped some paint on it as a way to keep him busy while I worked on a commission painting,” she explained.
“He […] ended up spreading the paint all over the canvas, and in the process he created his first masterpiece titled The crawl.
“It was clear that he found a lot of joy in it.”
Since then, Ace-Liam has attracted significant attention from national and international media, as well as from the First Lady of the Republic of Ghana.
“He has created a buzz and heightened the conversation about art appreciation,” Chantelle commented, “as well as discovering and nurturing talents in kids.”
With over 20 paintings created by him, Ace-Liam participated in his first group exhibition, The Soundout Premium Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Technology in Ghana.
There, a total of 10 of his artworks were displayed and put up for sale. Out of those 10, nine were sold during the exhibition.
Ace-Liam loves the feel of the paint on his hands, the bright colours and the ability to express himself through painting.
“It's a fun and creative outlet for him, and he enjoys the freedom to explore and create without limitations,” Chantelle explained.
Ever since he started talking, he would ask to paint, as it has become his favourite activity.
As for the meaning behind his masterpieces, according to Chantelle, Ace-Liam’s art is more about expression and exploration rather than conveying specific messages.
“His abstract paintings are inspired by the world around him; colours, shapes, textures and his mood.
“Every painting is an expression of his curiosity and joy in discovering new things.”
In fact, Ace-Liam's painting sessions are spontaneous and guided by his mood.
Once his painting area has been set up with canvases and paints, he walks into his studio and chooses the canvas size and colours he prefers.
“Then he calls me to open the paint bottles for him,” Chantelle said, “and then he starts applying the paint on the canvas carefully yet spontaneously.
“A painting session can last anywhere from a few minutes to about half an hour, depending on his interest at the moment.
“Sometimes he leaves a painting and comes back to it after a couple of days to finish it.
“Once he’s done, he says ‘mama finish’.”
After his record of world’s youngest artist (male) was approved, Ace-Liam’s proud family began exploring opportunities to place him in an environment where his artistic talent could be nurtured through quality education.
“We are hoping to seek international scholarship opportunities as well as international opportunities for him to sell his artworks.”
Chantelle’s advice is for parents to encourage and support their child's interests, no matter how early they appear:
“Every child is unique, and nurturing their passions can lead to amazing discoveries and achievements.”
For people who want to break a world record, she emphasized how important it is to follow the rules carefully:
“Read it over and over again before attempting it and remember, the journey and the joy it brings is very fulfilling.”
There is no doubt that Ace-Liam has an exciting career ahead of him, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
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