Gallery 1957

There are a few days left to experience ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family,’ the multifaceted group show at Gallery 1957 Accra.

The African Family extends beyond biological relations to include chosen families, communities, and networks of support. None more so apparent then the artist-led ecosystem that can be found thriving in Ghana. The Black figuration movement finds a home base in Ghana and some of the game-changers are exploring the contemporary representation of African selfhood with distinctive style.

The bold self-portraits by Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe are set in environments which uplift their sense of purpose and disrupt monolithic understandings of African life. Quaicoe’s stoic figures are contrasted against colourful pictorial planes and plain black backgrounds, bringing to the forefront the untold stories of the Black American cowboy. 

Don’t miss your chance to experience Quaicoe and 11 other artists’ work in ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ until 13th July on the Third Floor, Galleria Mall, Kempinski Hotel Accra.

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Gallery 1957 is delighted to share ‘Beyond The Skin,’ a multidisciplinary project by Serge Attukwei Clottey at Museu Tàpies in Barcelona, Spain.

Afrogallonism, a concept conceived by Clottey that confronts global material culture by cutting, drilling, stitching and melting found materials, makes its debut in Spain in this reflection on the environmental crisis, migrations and the global economic system.

‘Beyond the Skin’, a project curated by Imma Prieto, includes a range of actions and exhibits, starting with the major installation. ‘Afterlife Voyage’ is a tapestry that covers the front of the Museu Tàpies and it is constructed of Clottey’s signature yellow plastic Kufuor gallons, creating a dialogue with the Museum’s architectural features. As the artist puts it, the installation explores the rich tapestry of his family heritage, going back to his ancestors’ migration from Jamestown to Labadi, making this work a proclamation both personal and political.

The installation opens today with ‘Silent Steps, Dance, Memories Sound’, a moving performance in the form of a procession that will cross the city centre starting from the Museu Tàpies at 6:30pm on Tuesday 2nd July.

The opening event will end with the performance ‘The Coal Men’, staged by Clottey at the Periferia Cimarronas venue at 7:00pm and 8:30pm on Wednesday 3rd July.

Both of these performances are free and open to the public.

‘Beyond The Skin’ is on view in Barcelona at Museu Tàpies until 1st December 2024.

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📸: Eva Carasol © Museu Tàpies

Gallery 1957 warmly welcomes Artist In Residence Awanle Ayiboro Hawa Ali.

Hawa is a Ghanaian visual artist who delves into the realities faced by African women living within a patriarchal society, as embodied through her gendered experience of Islam.

Dedicated to extensive research, experiments, and ceaseless artistic exploration, she navigates the delicate balance between tradition and liberation within the sacred intimacy and complexities of home.

We look forward to a thought-provoking solo exhibition from Hawa later this year curated by Nana Yaa Asare Boadu.

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Throwback to Jonathan Okoronkwo’s solo exhibition in Accra, ‘Some things stay broken’ curated by Tracy Naa Koshie Thompson.

Okoronkwo’s dystopian imagery is inspired by one of the biggest industrial clusters in Africa which is located in Kumasi, Ghana. Suame Magazine is a site of colossal assemblage of disposed spare parts from vehicles all over the world.

“It is not just a smooth flat plane, but with corrosion and tears from acids and layers of ripped plywood. His paintings are certainly not a harmless kiss of paint on a smooth perfect
canvas. The acidic paint literally could devour the wood he paints on. The volition of acids is a consuming flame with whatever it meets; a subtle inclusion of destruction into painting.“

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Extract from a curatorial essay by Tracy Naa Koshie Thompson

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Journey across the threads between tradition and contemporary art through Rita Mawuena Benissan’s embroidered tapestries currently on view in ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family.’

From her picturesque largescale artworks to the virtuous detail of her choice in archival images, Bennisan reimagines the creative potential of tapestry weaving, exploring traditional embroidery techniques beyond their fundamental confines.

Come and be immersed in a sense of cultural resilience amongst African societies in ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ until 13th July on the Third Floor, Galleria Mall, Kempinski Hotel Accra.

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Gallery 1957 is proud to introduce the second member of our jury for the fourth edition of the Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize, Touria El Glaoui.

Born and raised in Morocco, Touria El Glaoui completed her education in New York before beginning a career in the banking industry as a wealth management consultant. After 10 years in the field she relocated to London, where she initiated 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in 2013. She has since launched the fair in New York in 2015, in Marrakech in 2018 and in Paris 2021. 1-54 is now a world-leading platform dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.

Parallel to her career, El Glaoui has organised and co-curated exhibitions of her father’s work, Moroccan artist Hassan El Glaoui, in London and Morocco. She has spoken widely and chaired numerous discussions on contemporary African art and women in leadership at leading institutions and events globally.

We are honoured to welcome El Glaoui back to the jury panel this year as she also served on the jury panel for the first edition of the Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize.

The prize is open to Ghanaian women artists either living in Ghana or across its diaspora and all applications should be sent to [email protected]

The deadline for applications is 16th September 2024.

For more information, swipe to the next slide and visit the link in bio.

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Through their works, the artists who constitute The African Family in ‘UNLIMITED III’ evoke a sense of belonging, identity, and interconnectedness that transcends geographical boundaries.

Kofi Agorsor’s ensemble of sculptures hand carved from African tropical wood inhabit multiple realities. Agorsor presents a feminine figure surrounded by the manifestations of her bloodline, divulging the interrelated familial bonds of the past which inform the present and inspire the future.

You are welcome to experience Agorsor’s spiritually charged artworks in conversation with 11 artists in ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ until 13th July on the Third Floor, Galleria Mall, Kempinski Hotel Accra.

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Gallery 1957 is proud to share that the groundbreaking exhibition ‘When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting’ is now on view at the Kunstmuseum Basel.

The comprehensive and inspiring show brings together works by 120 artists including Cornelius Annor and Gideon Appah.

This multifaceted special exhibition curated by Koyo Kouoh and Tandazani Dhlakama, conceived and organised by Zeitz MOCAA has travelled from Cape Town to Basel.
The show introduces viewers to figurative painting by Black artists from Africa and the African Diaspora dating from the 1920s through to the present.

Don’t miss your opportunity to experience ‘When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting’ which includes a multilayered series of public programmes at the Kunstmuseum Basel until the 27th of October 2024.

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Gideon Appah, Untitled (Yellow Car), 2021, Installation view at Kunstmuseum Basel 2024 © Courtesy of Marwan Zakhem and the artist
Cornelius Annor, The Conversation, 2020, Installation view at Kunstmuseum Basel 2024 © Courtesy of Marwan Zakhem and the artist

Plunge into a moment of joy and freedom through Kwesi Botchway’s large scale painting currently on view in ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ at Gallery 1957 Accra.

Encapsulating the extended net of kinship that defines African families, this swimming pool scene projects a happy family that reflects the diversity within the artist’s own family. By situating the figures where past memories, present contemplations and future possibilities intersect, Botchway evokes a site of social action where power relations are dissolved, and the strength of familial bonds are uplifted.

You can experience Botchway’s refreshing artworks in ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ alongside 12 artists until 13th July on the Third Floor, Galleria Mall, Kempinski Hotel Accra.

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Starting off the introductions of the Jury Panel for the fourth edition of The Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize, Gallery 1957 is delighted to present Godfried Donkor.

Godfried Donkor is a Ghanaian-British multidisciplinary artist interested in the socio-historical relationships of Africa, Europe and the Caribbean. Known for his collages utilising newspaper and gold leaf in a religious-like imagery, Donkor is renowned for his paintings which explore the relationship between slave trade and boxing, and sculptures which offer a new take on the traditional adinkra symbolism of Ghana.

Highlights of Donkor’s illustrious career include solo exhibitions with Gallery 1957 in both Accra and London, exhibiting at the National Portrait Gallery in London and at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington DC. In 2023, Donkor was awarded as a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow.

It is an honour to have Donkor on the jury panel this year.

The prize is open to Ghanaian women artists either living in Ghana or across its diaspora and all applications should be sent to [email protected]

The deadline for applications is 16th September 2024.

For more information, swipe to the next slide and visit the link in bio.

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The opening night of ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ was a memorable evening of kinship and connection ✨

Throughout history, family has been a cornerstone of survival on the African continent. The concept of family in African societies extends far beyond a nuclear unit, encompassing extended family members, clans, and communities.

Curated by Marwan Zakhem and featuring 13 artists from across the continent and with roots in the diaspora, ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ is on view until 13th July on the Third Floor, Galleria Mall, Kempinski Hotel Accra.

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Gallery 1957 welcomes you to join us in London this Saturday for ‘The Bigger Picture,’ a collective friends & family collage workshop hosted by artist Larry Amponsah with co-curators Katherine Finerty & Nuna Adisenu-Doe.

For the last day and final instalment of the ‘Constellations Part 1: Figures on Earth & Beyond’ exhibition programme in London, this workshop will explore the nuanced idea of ‘The Bigger Picture’ by engaging in abstract art techniques and collective collage-making influences from Amponsah’s practice.

Guided by Katherine Finerty and Nuna Adisenu-Doe, participants will delve into the exhibition theme and concept of the Anthropocene Epoch, based on the idea that human activity is the dominant influence on the Earth’s climate and environment in the current geological age, using a variety of materials to create layered, multifaceted artworks.

Materials will be provided and the workshop is free and open to all!

Booking is essential. RSVP to [email protected]

See you this Saturday 1st June from 2pm to 4pm at Gallery 1957 London, 1 Hyde Park Gate SW7 5EW. 

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Tomorrow will be a memorable event at Gallery 1957 London to kick off London Gallery Weekend and we are excited to be collaborating with 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair to present Adelaide Damoah’s multi-sensory experience, ’Arachne II (enyɔ): Healing Dislocated Cultures.’

Through her performance art, Damoah is interested in generating a spontaneous communi(cati)on between herself and an audience to reimagine relationships between humans, nature, and technology.

Pictured here are stills from Damoah’s ‘Arachne’ performance at Gagosian, London in April last year. Get ready to experience the next unfolding of ‘Arachne’ tomorrow at Gallery 1957 London.

Our doors will open at 6pm, with the performance beginning at 6:30pm, followed by a curatorial talk and tour at 7:45pm and the closing reception until 9pm.

We look forward to your presence!

RSVP to [email protected]

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📸: Brenden Harvey
Concept, writing and editing: Adelaide Damoah and Stephen Baycroft
Soundscape composition: Johnathan Mallet (including Ariel song composition by Adelaide Damoah, Stephen Baycroft and AI) with performances by Johnathan Mallet, Adelaide Damoah and AI.

The Mothership has landed in Detroit 🚀

Gallery 1957 is excited to share that Zak Ové’s Afrofuturistic multicoloured sculpture ‘The Mothership Connection’ is now on view at The Shepherd, a 110-year-old Romanesque-style church that has been converted to a cultural arts centre in Detroit.

Zak Ové is renowned for his work in sculpture, film and photography, work that reinterprets lost culture and mythology through the repurposing or reimagining of modern and second-hand found materials. He pays tribute to African and Trinidadian identities which have been given new meanings through the cross- cultural dispersion of ideas and believes strongly in the power of the emancipation of self through the culture of Carnival and Masquerade.

With this nine-metre-tall futuristic totem, Ové is exploring the theme of storytelling and its ability to convey and reframe history, myth and legend.

‘The Mothership Connection’ is on view at The Shepherd until April 2025.

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Happy Africa Day 🌍

Currently on view in Accra, ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ offers a lens through which we can contemplate the past, navigate the present, and envision the future of the African Family unit.

Reflecting the kaleidoscope totality of African societies are the semi-abstract paintings by Issahq Ismail. Presenting a form of Naturalism with a focus on social commentary, the Ghanaian artist expresses a playfulness by using distortions to generate meaning and to capture daily life and imagination.

Ismail’s animated abstractions are exhibited alongside 13 artists in ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ on the Third Floor, Galleria Mall, Kempinski Hotel Accra until 13th July.

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Gallery 1957 is thrilled to announce the fourth edition of The Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize.

Named after the prominent Ghanaian Queen Mother, the prize aligns with our mission to support and uplift emerging and established artists. The prize is open exclusively to Ghanaian women artists who are based in Ghana or its diaspora.

The winner will be selected by a jury of international experts and we warmly welcome this year’s esteemed jurists:

Godfried Donkor () Multidisciplinary Artist
Touria El Glaoui () Founding Director of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair
Ekow Eshun () Writer and Curator
Margaux Huille (margauxhuille) Director of Fondation H
Koyo Kouoh (madamekoyo) Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa and Founding Artistic Director of RAW Material Company
Marie-Cécile Zinsou (mariececilezinsou) Art Historian, Curator, Author and Founder of Fondation Zinsou

The Gallery was proud to present Lois Selasie Arde-Acquah as the 2023 recipient of the Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize, filmmaker Nuotama Frances Bodomo and multidisciplinary artist Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah as first and second runner up respectively.

One first prize winner will receive an artist residency and exhibition at Gallery 1957, as well as GHC 50,000. The second runner up will be awarded GHC 30,000 and the third runner-up will receive GHC 20,000.

All applications should be sent to [email protected]

The deadline for applications is 16th September with winners announced in October.

To find out more information please see the 2nd slide and visit our website.

We look forward to reviewing your entries!

Join us tonight for the opening of ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ ✨

This is the third iteration of UNLIMITED curated by Gallery 1957’s founder director Marwan Zakhem inviting artists from across the continent and its diaspora. The latest edition of the group show will be centred around the theme of The African Family, and what this means for us as artists and individuals in these uncertain times. Through their works, the artists who constitute The African Family in ‘UNLIMITED III’ evoke a sense of belonging, identity, and interconnectedness that transcends geographical boundaries.

The exhibiting artists include Kofi Agorsor, Cornelius Annor, Rita Mawuena Benissan, Amoako Boafo, Kwesi Botchway, Gerald Chukwuma, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Kelvin Haizel, Isshaq Ismail, Yaw Owusu, Thania Petersen, Afia Prempeh, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe and Jeremiah Quarshie.

See you all tonight from 6pm - 9pm on the Third Floor, Galleria Mall, Kempinski Hotel Accra.

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The RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden is underway in London 💐

Commissioned by Saatchi Gallery, Zak Ové’s ‘Invisible Man and the Masque of Blackness’ sculptures are spread throughout the garden.

The garden, designed in collaboration with award-winning garden designer Dave Green, encourages important conversations about the themes central to Ové’s work - the African Diaspora, contemporary multiculturalism, globalisation, and the blend of politics, tradition, race, and history that informs our identities 🌴

Don’t miss your chance to travel through time at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden until this Saturday 25th May 2024 at London Gate, Royal Hospital Road, London, SW3 4SR.

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📸: courtesy of Saatchi Gallery, London © Harry Sweeney

Next week at Gallery 1957 London, multi-disciplinary artist Adelaide Damoah will lead us through a journey of enigmatic and unfixed meanings in her performance ’Arachne II (enyɔ): Healing Dislocated Cultures.’

Pictured here are stills from the first iteration of Damoah’s ‘Arachne’ performance at Gagosian, London. The evolution of this performance will take place at Gallery 1957 London on Thursday 30th May.

The audiovisual journey draws inspiration from Aimé Césaire, Frantz Fanon and Timothy Morton, inviting the audience to reimagine the history of colonialism with the intention of unlocking new modes of understanding.

These elements converge to weave a narrative that delves deep into Damoah’s familial history, ultimately extending to a profound exploration of imperialistic and capitalistic expansion and the enduring ecological ramifications it bears.
 
You don’t want to miss this performance on Thursday 30th May at Gallery 1957 London!

Our doors will open at 6pm, with the performance beginning at 6:30pm, followed by a closing reception until 9pm.
RSVP to [email protected]

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📸: Courtesy of Jennifer Moyes
Concept, writing and editing: Adelaide Damoah and Stephen Baycroft
Soundscape composition: Johnathan Mallet (including Ariel song composition by Adelaide Damoah, Stephen Baycroft and AI) with performances by Johnathan Mallet, Adelaide Damoah and AI.

Opening this week in Accra, Gallery 1957’s mainstay group exhibition ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family’ invites artists from across the continent to explore the nuances of traditions, migrations, and societal changes within the African context.

Cornelius Annor’s use of traditional textiles imparts a textural quality to his work, integrating the fabrics in unexpected ways to create illuminating familial scenes.

This figurative painting conveys the cherished bond between a grandmother and grandchild, with a paternal figure centralised and mirroring the audience’s observance of this intimate moment.

See you all this Thursday 23rd May from 6pm - 9pm on the Third Floor, Galleria Mall, Kempinski Hotel Accra.

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Only two weeks left to be immersed in the group exhibition ‘Constellations Part 1: Figures on Earth & Beyond’ at Gallery 1957 London.

Over recent years, British artist Henry Hussey has been increasingly focused on archetypal and universal imagery. His artworks on show consist of a large banner and ceramic vessels.

The title of the work is ‘Colossus’ which events a crumbling monumental human statue and the central focal of a civilisation mythology.

Hussey’s works are in conversation with fourteen artists in ‘Constellations Part 1: Figures on Earth & Beyond’ until 30th May at Gallery 1957 London, 1 Hyde Park Gate SW7 5EW. 

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Gallery 1957 welcomes you next week to the opening of ‘UNLIMITED III: The African Family.’

This is the third iteration of UNLIMITED curated by Gallery 1957’s founder director Marwan Zakhem inviting artists from across the continent and its diaspora. The latest edition of the group show will be centred around the theme of The African Family, and what this means for us as artists and individuals in these uncertain times. Through their works, the artists who constitute The African Family in ‘UNLIMITED III’ evoke a sense of belonging, identity, and interconnectedness that transcends geographical boundaries.

The exhibiting artists include Kofi Agorsor, Cornelius Annor, Rita Mawuena Benissan, Amoako Boafo, Kwesi Botchway, Gerald Chukwuma, Kelvin Haizel, Isshaq Ismail, Yaw Owusu, Thania Petersen, Afia Prempeh and Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe.

Join us for the opening reception on Thursday 23rd May from 6pm - 9pm on the Third Floor, Galleria Mall, Kempinski Hotel Accra.

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Gallery 1957 is delighted to announce that multi-disciplinary British-Caribbean artist Zak Ové has been commissioned by Saatchi Gallery for its 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden. Titled ‘Abeba Esse’ and featuring Ové’s ‘Invisible Man and the Masque of Blackness’ sculptures, the garden will depict a Black Diasporic journey, from Africa to the Caribbean, and ultimately the UK.

Reflecting on his hopes for what visitors will take away from the garden, Ové says:

“History is alive and with us every day, the past is the food on our table and the roof over our head. How we got where we are is often obfuscated by the way in which history may have been told. Here visitors have journeyed with the Diaspora and joined together with the sculptures to examine a past that has remained hidden yet beneath our very feet.”

You are welcome to be transported through Zak Ové’s mystical journey at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden from Tuesday 21st May to Saturday 25th May 2024 at London Gate, Royal Hospital Road, London, SW3 4SR.

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📸: Jonty Wilde

Gallery 1957 welcomes you to experience ‘Arachne II (enyɔ): Healing Dislocated Cultures’, a performance by British-Ghanaian artist Adelaide Damoah.

The transformative performance is set to commemorate the closing of ‘Constellations Part 1: Figures on Earth & Beyond’ at Gallery 1957 London on Thursday 30th May.

Evolving from a therianthrope to a therio-phytanthrope, Arachne-Damoah embodies a hybrid of human, plant (Griffonia simplicifolia), and arachnid, weaving webs of healing and inquiry. Her appearance, adorned with gold and black accents and insect-like carapace, exudes majesty, malevolence, and benevolence.

Our doors will open at 6pm, with the performance beginning at 6:30pm, followed by a closing reception until 9pm. RSVP to [email protected]

We look forward to your presence on Thursday 30th May at Gallery 1957 London, 1 Hyde Park Gate SW7 5EW.

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The procession comes full circle ☂️

Rita Mawuena Benissan’s solo exhibition ‘In the World not of the World’ took place a year ago today, which is a special day in Ghana’s Ashanti kingdom where the silver jubilee of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is being celebrated.

Benissan’s solo exhibition curated by Ekow Eshun unified the rich visual culture of Ghanaian chieftaincy with traditional umbrella making and contemporary art.

Her practice continues to welcome audineces into a vibrant world of archival images and intricate embroidered tapestries, reminding us that archives are about the future rather than the past. 

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Throwback to Priscilla Kennedy’s iridescent solo exhibition in Accra last year, ‘A Thousand Disguises.’

Curated by Tracy Naa Koshie Thompson, ‘A Thousand Disguises’ exposed how weaving and textile culture throughout history has been used as a means of expression and resistance.

“What is it that draws humans to want something more than themselves? We yearn to fly, to be fearful, beautiful, resilient, dangerous, inconspicuous, ambiguous or even alien. Imagine transforming into mermaids adorned with glittering scales, resembling the shimmering beauty of sequins. Envision becoming luminescent creatures draped in fabrics that radiate a fluorescent glow. Picture feeling majestic while wrapped in the vibrant patterns of the Kente cloth or the sumptuous softness of velvet. And consider embracing your sensual side, gracefully wrapped in the sensuous textures of linens and silk, exuding elegance and allure.”

- extract from a curatorial text by Tracy Naa Koshie Thompson

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Lois Selasie Arde-Acquah’s work ‘Ephemeral Liberation’ welcomes audiences into ‘Constellations Part 1: Figures on Earth & Beyond’ through a tangible pattern that is repetitive and immersive.

Arde-Acquah finds her material, the imported synthetic leather, among shoemakers in Kumasi, a city that is a home to a failed government operated shoe factory. The leather became her practising medium after experimenting with ink markers on canvas.

The Ghanaian artist was the winner of the third edition of the Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize and she is currently an artist-in-residence in Accra. We look forward to her solo exhibition later this year!

‘Ephemeral Liberation’ is presented as a form of social abstraction emerging from an introspective creative impulse, and you can experience Arde-Acquah’s work in ‘Constellations Part 1: Figures on Earth & Beyond’ at Gallery 1957 London until 25th May. 

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Nigerian artist Plantation Ayomide Tejuoso creates work that constitutes a frenzied search for the Black disposition.

Captured in a lush green field in Oxford, ‘Blue Whispers’ traces the persistence of memory and the will to survive while also exploring the varieties of Black life. The poignant photograph made in collaboration with the artist’s model and muse Taoheed Bayo, conveys a sense of intimacy and tenderness to provide something that resembles the hope and respite of a fallen angel.  

Her work on show at Gallery 1957 London comes from a photographic series which documents the diasporic search for sacredness and home across European cities, telling stories to map constellations of Blackness. 

You can experience Plantation Ayomide Tejuoso’s moving work in ‘Constellations Part 1: Figures on Earth & Beyond’ at Gallery 1957 London until 25th May. 

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Currently on view in London, Sarah Meyohas proposes a transient space that considers the analogy of reflection as a metaphor for value.

In the group show ‘Constellations Part 1: Figures on Earth & Beyond,’ Meyohas is showing a photograph from her ‘Speculation’ series, featuring repeating geometries and gradients infinitely receding into mirror reflections.

The French-American artist explores themes of reflection and illusion, creating a visual language to articulate the systems and technologies that increasingly influence our world.

Delve into the infinite loop of Meyohas and 15 other artists in ‘Constellations Part 1: Figures on Earth & Beyond’ at Gallery 1957 London until 25th May.

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