Meet the Ghanaian scenic artist who worked with Hollywood actor Van Damme

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Prince Kojo Hilton is a multitalented artist who breaks barriers in the art industry and puts Ghana on the map.

The young artist has had a hand in a number of famous movies, including working with renowned actors.

One of such popular personalities is Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme in the movie “Sense 8.”

Mr Hilton was the scenic artist, and he created the aesthetic impression for the main character in the movie.

“I also had the chance to work with Hollywood in 2012. I was employed by Jean-Claude Van Damme. On that set, I worked as a scenic artist. I created the look and feel of the main characters in the film. The film is called Sense 8. It was shot in eight countries, and I happened to work on the Kenyan version of the Sense 8. So if you watch the film, that was my idea as to how the car should look like; the main character’s car should look like for the film,” he said.

The renowned artist made these revelations on The Doreen Avio Show, which airs on Saturdays on Joy Prime.

He added that “I created the fake bullets that were used in the movie. That was the movie in which I transformed a donkey into a zebra.”

Also, in the 2015 war drama movie, Beast of No Nation, Mr Hilton was the scenic artist, a role he played so well that the film won multiple awards.

Mr Hilton has worked as a film director, scenic and set designer, and special effects artist on different projects around the world.

In his early days in the movie industry, the versatile artist worked as art director on ‘The Dons of Sakawa’ which featured Majid Michel, John Dumelo, and Prince David.

Again, he was responsible for designing the look and feel of the 2010 Ghanaian direct-to-video thriller film Chelsea, directed by Moses Inwang, and starring Majid Michel, Nadia Buari, and John Dumelo.

Mr Hilton was appointed Pan-African Ambassador for Painting in 2019 based on his work and projects.

According to him, his guiding principle as a painter is to solve problems with his paintings.

He also wants the young artists, especially in Africa, to be inspired to be creators and inventors rather than mere painters and sculptors.

“We need to encourage our young folks, our kids, to understand that art is not only about drawing and painting. But artists must be dynamic, You don’t have to learn to be a sculptor or a painter. You must learn to be a creator or an inventor. I don’t just paint. I paint to solve problems,” he said.

Mr Hilton revealed that his works make him feel good, but he is not resting on his laurels in achieving more for himself, the art industry, and his country, Ghana.

He urged the government to pay more attention to the art industry and treat it as one of the sectors that can propel Ghana’s development.