Over the next couple of weeks, (April 12 to June 7, 2018) Accra’s Gallery1957 will be the site for Almost True, an art exhibit that highlights satire as a genre for contemporary art as a way to highlight sensitive social, political, religious and economic concerns.
Curated by Senior Lecturer at Ashesi, Dr. Oduro Frimpong, the art exhibit features works from leading Ghanaian illustrator Bright Ackwerh and Kenyan painter, Michael Soi.
“What makes the exhibition important for the Ghanaian context relates to the poignant issues both artists highlight, such as foreign nationals’ involvement in illegal mining in Ghana and charlatan religious leaders and the actual responses and discussions their work evokes from citizens,” explained Frimpong. “These responses, especially those that occur on social media sites, strongly point to the varying sites of Ghanaian citizens’ engagement with politics that goes far beyond political discussion on radio, television and ballot boxes at polling stations. These works, as part of African popular culture, certainly enables a shift to the internet as an alternative platform where citizens actively engage with various political and religious issues associated with their daily lives.”
Almost True, as depicted by the title implies the pieces presented in the exhibit are not factual, though they are exaggerated perspectives of the artists personal experiences in dealing with society, religion and politics. The exhibition opened to a full house, welcoming a cross section of art enthusiast, academics, and members of the general public.
“Beyond audiences who could afford and appreciate these paintings as legitimate art pieces, my target audience also include all those who can make it to the gallery to view the pieces until the show ends on 7th June, 2018,” said Frimpong. “Thus, I target all Ghanaian students from primary to tertiary levels, Ghanaian workers of all types, businessmen, the expatriate community, and basically all and sundry. This broad audience focus is to ensure that my academic research is not limited to those in the ivory tower but is appreciated by those outside my scholarly circles.”