Less in terms of subject matter, perhaps, than his overall collage-like approach to the art form, in which he combines figures from old fashion magazines as well as from London barber shops, the marketplaces of Accra serve as a tremendous inspiration for Larry Amponsah’s paintings.
The Ghanaian artist’s debut UAE solo exhibition is taking place at the Lawrie Shabibi gallery on Alserkal Avenue. The exhibition, The Soil From Which We Came, is on display until February 17 and consists of enormous paintings that are collage-like collections of various images. The pieces emphasize modern black identity and culture while also being conscious of how interconnected the world is. According to the National, backdrops for people models with features that appear to have been lifted from commercials and other media include collages of thorny bushes, blooming flowers, and vegetables. The pieces initially appear to be nothing more than pieces of collaged fashion magazine photos.
But as spectators get closer, Amponsah’s technical skill as a painter emerges. His method involves carefully constructing the compositions from smaller collages, which are then digitally altered, made larger, and painted on canvas. Amponsah has degrees in painting from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, Jiangsu University in China, and the Royal College of Art in London. Hein Ghana’s Kuenyehia Art Trust for Contemporary Art as a Trustee at the moment.
Through a potpourri of many types of vegetation, Amponsah’s painting captures the lushness of these imagined locations. Jagged forms of food, fruit, and radiant blossoms are arranged. Purples, yellows, pinks, oranges, and reds are sliced and combined in visually arresting ways that try to defy conventional painting conventions.
“When I was doing my masters [in the Royal College of Art], I was interested in pushing my practice to a point where I could be proud of it,” Amponsah says. “I wanted to see my practice create a space in the history of painting, which required me to go on a journey of experiments and excavations. I experimented with collage in lots of forms. As a trained painter, you miss a lot,” he continues.
“There are established guidelines for the proper application of colors. There are colors that work well together, those that don’t, and complementary and analogous hues. It’s different in the marketplace, and I found that to be interesting as well.”
However, Amposah discovered a conspicuous paucity of black representation when he started poring through the publications in search of pictures he could composite. Given that he wanted his art to reflect black culture, identity, politics, and history, this presented a challenge in terms of creativity.
Amponsah started scanning and reversing the colors of discarded magazine images using digital technology. “I would flip it if they were white people,” he declares. “The straightforward act of doing it helped me a lot.” Amponsah initially started making miniature collages because she couldn’t get to a studio because of the lockdown. He didn’t know why, but the main goal was to produce thousands of them.
Models are seen posing like they would in a fashion magazine in the enormous paintings that developed from the sketches. Others have a jacket thrown over one shoulder, while some hold purses to their chests. Some seem kind, while others mysteriously peek out from beneath lowered caps. The faces of these models are the culmination of numerous ripped features. Amponsah said he spent a lot of time positioning the faces to evoke the feelings he was going for.
A sculpture that shares a similar theme with Amponsah’s paintings is located somewhat outside the centre of the exhibition space. In an installation, a human figure with a collaged face protrudes from a bouquet of flowers, bringing the artist’s universe out of the flat canvas and into the realm of three dimensions.
Dozens of little square canvases are set in a tile-like pattern on one wall of the exhibition room. The project, which Amponsah started “long ago,” also includes faces, but these are based on people he met and photographed in barbershops in London, before giving their portraits his eccentric collage treatment — this time with actual printed photographs. This is in contrast to the models that the artist created as a result of “sampling” magazines and fashion imagery.
A snow globe is perched atop a column in the second of three paintings. Amponsah’s snow globe has a harsh truth even if it frequently conjures up idyllic places. A white police officer raises his gun towards a black man who is waving his hands in the air.
The hourglass can be seen in the final painting and its column. He claims that the hourglass is time itself. “Time is really the only thing you need in life. You can think more clearly if you are patient. It’s a time for contemplation. Up through February 17th, The Soil From Which We Came is on display at Lawrie Shabibi gallery.