A Full Circle Moment for Ghanaian Artist Foster Sakyiamah
For the first time ever, the artist is staging a solo exhibition in Accra, the city that birthed his artistic life and fed his calling to paint. It’s a significant moment in time for Foster Sakyiamah’s career. Presented by ADA\ Contemporary Art Gallery and curated by Ghanaian contemporary artist Joseph Awuah-Darko, ‘Lines Through Time’ features new paintings from the artist that have been inspired by works from notable artists, including Johannes Vermeer and Paul Gauguin. But it’s also the first time the artist is showing a solo exhibition in the city he has called home for nearly 36 years.
One of the major works in the collection is “Akosua As Desire,” which is influenced by Gauguin’s 1892 painting “The Seed of the Areoi.” It shows a Ghanaian lady whose Black body is painted in red skin seated in the nude and holding what looks like a mango while sitting on a table covered with cloth to convey independence, a sense of nurturing, and femininity.
A second painting that also received the Sakyiamah spin is Vermeer’s 1665 painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” He tells OkayAfrica that the paintings were created to “discuss and celebrate women” through his gaze, in what he calls “empowering objectification.” He continues: “It was important [for] me to have a connection to every painting. I wanted to convey emotions within the viewer through vibrant color and through my ability to achieve a certain essence through the work and choice of color.”
SOURCE : OKAY AFRICA
