Afuya, 2010, acrylic on linen, 125.7 x 120.7 cm
Galerie Vidal Saint-Phalle, Paris
15 FÉVRIER – 30 MARS 2013
10, rue du Trésor 75004 – PARIS
A common compositional scheme for my painting is the exploration and exploitation of the horizontal and vertical register. A link to the design of strip-woven cloth is inevitable. Besides invoking the palette of Ghanaian kente, the work hints at the frailty of human life, especially in Africa. Poverty is the only thing that money cannot buy. The voice of the poor can always be felt in the way they can transform their surroundings with dignity through personal aesthetics. I note the way environments can be transformed with very little by taking photographs or by drawing: ironically this engagement enriches my artistic life.
When I paint, I am sometimes in a trance; other times it feels like a conversation between myself and the materials; or with other artists alive and dead, African and non-African.The artist in the studio is alone. The usual ruses to make conversation with others are not possible but dialogue with materials sets in motion a vehicle for argument and counter-argument.
Atta Kwami, Cambridge, 2012
A LECTURE AT THE CENTRE OF AFRICAN STUDIES, SOAS, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON:
Fabrication 2013
Dr Atta Kwami (Cambridge/Africa Collaborative Research Fellow and Visiting Scholar, Wolfson College, Cambridge) ; chaired by Dr Augustus Casely-Hayford (CAS Research Associate)
Date: 7 March 2013 Time: 5:15 PM
Finishes: 7 March 2013 Time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Russell Square: College BuildingsRoom: 4421
Type of Event: http://www.soas.ac.uk/cas/events/africanseminar/07mar2013-fabrication-2013.html
Series: Africa Seminars series
Hello Bruce,
Good to be in touch via the website. Thanks,
@attakwami
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