Located in the leafy suburb of East Legon, Accra, the Nubuke Foundation is a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting Ghanaian visual art, culture, and heritage. It hosts programs ranging from exhibitions on Ghanaian art, culture, and history, to art workshops, poetry, and drama. With its extensive interior space, the foundation provides an ideal venue for exhibitions and installations. One of its key objectives is to advocate for a central role for art in national development and bridge the gap between art and science for sustainable industrial growth.
Exhibition Theme: Afronuvo
The exhibition, themed Afronuvo, highlighted the intersection of art and product design, focusing on fashion illustrations, accessories, and posters. The artist envisioned the event as a “walkthrough” from the creation of designs to the final products, which were employed by upcoming fashion designer Baboa Tachie-Mensah in her fashion illustrations.
The artist drew inspiration from various African writing systems, including Mende, Vai, Adinkra, and Bantu scripts. These systems’ dynamic movement and curvilinear arrangements were abstracted and used as templates for his designs.
Artworks and Techniques
The exhibition featured initial artworks titled Ashe (a Yoruba concept representing the spiritual life force). The Ashe pieces drew heavily from African writing systems, blending their expressive and dynamic forms into unique designs. These works were further used as templates for creating print designs, where elements of the original pieces were cut or repeated as motifs for fabric patterns.
The creative process began with hand-drawn forms, which were digitized to add color and adjust shades. The artist then identified intriguing elements within the designs to repeat or rework into captivating patterns for fabric. These designs carried intrinsic meanings of communication and thought, encapsulating the essence of Ashe.