If you grew up in a Ghanaian household, you know the weight the word Kubolor carries. It was rarely said with warmth. It was the tag thrown at the kid who couldn’t sit still, the one floating between kicking a bruised football in the dust, tweaking sound presets on a borrowed laptop, and chopping up old clothes to invent a fit. It was a label designed to dismiss a lack of structure. On August 8 at Art’otel London Hoxton, London-based Ghanaian creative director and photographer Nana Kinq completely flipped that script.
The “KUBOLOR” exhibition drew a crowd of over 200 creatives, tastemakers, and cultural heavyweights, including Ghanaian megastars Stonebwoy and King Promise, who turned up to show love and share their own memories of being the “restless kids” before the stadium lights lit up. Ahead of the event, global star Rema also stamped his support onto a copy of the limited-edition artwork, saying simply: “Let’s do this for the kids.” Both Stonebwoy and King Promise later appreciated the work by signing a copy of the “KUBOLOR” artwork.
“KUBOLOR” is a sharp reframing of raw, uncurated African youth culture. Through Kinq’s lens, the street footballer chasing a break, the self-taught sound designer, and the grassroots stylist are no longer seen as aimless; they are documented as the architects of a global movement, thriving on sheer resourcefulness in environments built without infrastructure. Speaking on the project, founder Nana Kinq said: “No matter what tag you are given, if you want to do something and you set your mind to it, you get through it. You can be called a Kubolor and be in a stadium with 20,000 people shouting your name.”
The evening also featured a cross-industry panel on “Navigating Creative Careers,” bringing together OGD of NSG Music Group, Christian Saint (director and culture lecturer), Will Ainsworth (photographer and director), and Roxanne Tierney (freelance PR in fashion). Each speaker shared their own journey through the creative industry and reflected on how the KUBOLOR project resonated with their own path.
For Kinq, the project is deeply personal: “I was called a kubolor as a child, and not kindly. I have spent the years since watching people from backgrounds exactly like mine become some of the most respected creatives working today, in music, fashion, sport, film, still carrying the same restlessness that once got them dismissed. This exhibition, and the film that sits alongside it, is my attempt to sit with that word honestly. Not to romanticise struggle, but to name what was always there. Proceeds from this project print sale goes toward mentorship and practical support for young creatives and athletes doing the same thing right now, without a lane, and without the support.”
Each photograph is capped at a strict run of just five physical prints worldwide, with no further editions to be produced, available at Greatkins.com. Guests on the night also had the opportunity to purchase signed copies of EMY Africa Magazine’s UK Special Edition, photographed by Nana Kinq, with copies still available for sale via his website.
The movement shifted from the gallery to the screen with the public release of the “KUBOLOR” short documentary film on 1st September 2026. Looking ahead, the “KUBOLOR” mentorship programme will host a one-off event in Ghana next year, with details to be announced soon.
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