Invest in fine arts — Kojo-Hilton
According to Kojo-Hilton, no one is interested in the fine arts, thus the reason most artists divert to other ventures.
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“The government will do artists a lot of good if it invests heavily in us because we can generate a lot of money for the country. Can you imagine a country like Ghana with so many artists funded by the government to put their works to good use?
“But it is sad most of my friends end up doing something else when they are hit with the major challenges artists face, which include lack of funds.”
While Kojo-Hilton admonishes the government for not investing in the fine arts, he also blames some of his colleague artists for not challenging themselves enough.
“When you mention arts, the only thing that comes into one’s mind is painting, which should not be the case. There are various forms of art and it is sad my people are not exploring the other opportunities,’ he said.
Using himself as an example, Kojo-Hilton, who recently won Pan African Eminent Art Director Production Design Award, said he does painting, stage directing, special effects, film make –up, among others
According to him, he tries not to limit himself to one direction, and that is what he wants his fellow artists to do.
Known for creating the first ever man-made volcano in Africa in 2012 for the Guinness Big Eruption Concert in Accra and working as a scenic artist with Hollywood directors of "Matrix" Lana and Andy Wachowski on the science fiction movie "Sense 8, Kojo-Hilton says he plans to become a director and a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a university called Pan Africa State University of Arts soon.
Also known for working with most of the renowned multimedia firms and film production houses in Ghana, Kojo-Hilton said although he was happy to win the Pan African Eminent Art Director Production Design, he was disappointed it took 17 years for his works to be recognised.
“Although I won an award at the Osagyefo Pan African Eminence Awards, 17 years is a long time coming and I feel I should have been awarded with more awards by now,” he said.