Roots and Routes: From Ghana to Dubai
Stunning creativity animates the artists of the new Ghanaian scene. In just a few years, contemporary art from this small country on the Gulf of Guinea has gained worldwide recognition, from the most prestigious auction houses to the most demanding private collections.
“Roots and Routes: From Ghana to Dubai” features artworks by David Kofi Amoateng, Aplerh-Doku Borlabi, Adjei Tawiah, Aboudia, Rufai Zakari, Cornelius Annor, Lord Ohene Okyere-Bour, Raphael Ajetey Mayne and Annan Affotey.
The exhibited portraits impose their magnetic presence, playing with figurative registers, sometimes expressionist, imbued with both joy and nostalgia. Flat areas and bright colours serve a great stylistic richness. For Ghanaian artists share a love of technical and pictorial experimentation.
The balance of Ghanaian artists lies precisely here: not content with reproducing or applying academic techniques, they integrate objects, tools, and symbols specific to their environment into their practice, questioning the society in which they remain firmly rooted. From this, an astonishing coherence emerges despite the plurality of perspectives and techniques. It is in this way that this new pictorial language is being written with intelligence and humility.
SELECTED WORKS
Adjei Tawiah, Yellow Pullover, 2022
Oil on canvas with sponge
150 x 120 cm | 59.1 x 47.2 in
Aplerh-Doku Borlabi, Cane Chair, 2021
Coconut sheath and oil on canvas
135 x 107 cm | 53.1 x 42.1 in
Aplerh-Doku Borlabi, Supreme, 2022
Coconut sheath and oil on canvas
135 x 107 cm | 53 x 42.1 in
Rufai Zakari, Flower Girl 2
Mixed media, plastic bags and food wraps
108 x 98 cm | 42.5 x 38.5> in