Rendezvouz Group Exhibition
Seth Clottey
Samuel Olou
Massimo Wanssi
Bernard Akoi-Jackson
Ishmael Norman
Kofi Asante
Kofi Dawson
Kofi Setordji
Larry Otoo
Gabriel Eklou
Wiz Kudowor
Nii T. Mills
Robert Aryeetey
Kofi Agorsor
Agyemang Ossei
Benedict Kojo Quaye
Chris Charway
F. Acolatse
Charlotte Conrad
Betty Acquah
Isaac Awuley Addico
Kofi Setordji, the exhibition curator, heralded the start of Rendezvous with his work Presenting the Bride. Setting the tone for the exhibition with its rich palette and cubist-inspired composition, this large canvas hung outside of the gallery, providing a backdrop to the gathering space on the veranda. Inside the gallery, the eclectic nature of the Ghanaian art scene was immediately apparent. Semi-abstract and decorated metalwork sculptures by Massimo Wanssi stood next to a vibrant abstract four-canvas construction, “…so we finally…” by Bernard Akoi-Jackson. Samuel Olou offered collage canvases overlaid with abstract markings, while the reception area housed the bustling impasto oil impressions of a Ghanaian market scene by Seth Clottey. An elegant pottery piece by Kofi Amoah stood centrally; the vessel’s handles depicted formalized figures prostrating themselves in prayer.
Throughout the exhibition, there was a clear interplay between figurative and abstract rendering and a recurrent interest in Ghanaian social and political life. Scenes of thronging urbanity were offered by Gabriel Eklou, whose evocative work Closing Time of Trotros captured the rowdy landscape of a transport hub at the end of the day. Nii T. Mill painted thick, glossy brush strokes that generated dynamic patchwork compositions depicting women carrying their wares, football players in injury time desperately seeking victory, and a ramshackle, sparsely populated street. In contrast to the earthy tones of Gabriel Eklou and Seth Clottey, Robert Aryeetey presented moody, twilight snapshots of once-busy public spaces after sunset.
Kofi Setordji’s works included several formalized, sculptural wooden heads, as well as a geometric-abstract satirical presentation of a political demagogue broadcasting himself, flanked by a poster calling on voters to “Vote for M.E.,” his initials alluding to a hollow, selfish agenda. Alongside a wryly comic sculpture of ants Looking for Sugar, Kofi Dawson exhibited a number of paintings, many of which depicted seductive women undertaking daily tasks or passing interminable time, while Larry Otoo’s vigorous compositions captured music performances and polo games.
Of the works that oscillated between figuration and abstraction, Wiz Kudowor’s three canvases, Wrapped Figurations IV, Bodyscape 11b, and Vanity Fair, were perhaps the most provocative. Voluptuous forms writhed under richly patterned textiles, creating a dizzying, ambiguous visual landscape that engulfed the entire picture plane. Equally entrancing were the works of Kofi Agorsor, whose painterly technique curiously encompassed suggestions of figures, fractured patterns, and a surface layer that appeared to have dripped and run down the canvas. The pure abstraction of Ishmael Norman’s semi-geometric compositions offered contemplative respite from the bustle of the majority of the works in Rendezvous. His “Purple Haze” constituted a violet dreamscape of line and color, while “Concentric Circles…” offered a warmer palette but a less defined composition, with the shadows of lost forms suggested beneath a misty top layer of paint.
Rendezvous was, unusually for Nubuke, a selling exhibition, and several of the works on show were sold during its run. Money raised from such sales is ploughed straight back into the Foundation so that it can continue to develop its program. Exhibiting a selection of works from some of Ghana’s leading contemporary artists, Rendezvous offered visitors an insight into the diverse visual languages and concerns emerging from the country’s burgeoning cultural scene. Furthermore, it firmly established the Nubuke Foundation as a critical contemporary platform for creative discourse and display.
- Kate Cowtcher