Joseph Amedokpo was born on Dec 12, 1946 in Badougbe, a suburb of Vogan, located 60 km south of Lome, the capital city of TOGO (West Africa). His uncle, a carpenter took him to live with him in Nigeria at the age of 8 and enrolled him at the Holy Cross Catholic School in the city of Lagos. In 1964, after completing high school, Joseph went on to get his first formal painting and art education at the Yaba trade center. Upon completion of his art training, Joseph did various jobs including working at the First Bank of Nigeria, before deciding in 1984 to return to his natal Togo and become a full time artist.

Joseph describes himself as a born artist who started painting very early while still in elementary school. He has now been painting for more than thirty years. He works from Monday to Saturday, from 8am until dusk. Sunday, his only day off, is devoted to church and soccer. Joseph Amedokpo is married, with five children. 

A single painting takes him two to three days to complete. A larger one can take five days. In a month, depending on the sizes of each painting, he can produce between five to ten pieces. Joseph loves painting and expressing himself through the art. Fortunately since many enjoy his art, he has been able to make a living out of it.

He enjoys using bright colors that shine in the light and stimulate the viewer's imagination. His paintings are a graceful mix of abstract style and personification. Although he has painted modern cities and industrialised areas before, his preference is for rural, simple, and authentic sceneries.

His inspiration comes to him in the middle of the night; at dawn he writes down the details of his dreams for future creations. His favorite themes are centered on the culture and the African traditions. Many of his paintings also describe the popular folktales of West Africa like “Mamy Wata”, the goddess of sea also representing the woman’s beauty. “The Baobab” majestic and giant tree is synonym of power and is adorned by worshippers. Joseph also paints the realities of his surroundings like the everyday struggle of getting water from the river with "Bitter Search for Water" or the fantastic pride and enthusiasm created by the first World Cup on African soil with paintings like “ Vuvuzela and the 2010 World Cup”, “Del Piero” 

In November 2008, Joseph Amedokpo received worldwide recognition when he was selected by (Product) RED and Dell Computers to personalize the covers of a new laptop line with original artwork. A percentage of the laptops sales went towards The Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Joseph's paintings have sold through art galleries and auction houses in Europe (France, England, Germany, Portugal), in Asia, and in the United States. Collectors have enjoyed the great detail and the visual effects of his paintings as well as his artistic technique.