Lawrie Shabibi is pleased to announce a “Gallery Takeover” by Gallery 1957 from Accra, Ghana. The initiative, which opens on 20 January and continues until March 2018, is the first of its kind in the Middle East and emulates current trends for younger galleries to develop their programmes internationally through the pooling of resources.
Gallery 1957 was established in 2016 in Accra and is dedicated to contemporary art with a curatorial focus on West Africa. The takeover will be split into two three-week periods, with two separate exhibitions, starting with The Displaced, a solo show from Serge Attukwei Clottey, followed by a joint exhibition between Gerald Chukwuma and Yaw Owusu.
Serge Attukwei Clottey will be showing a new series of pastel drawings on paper, which explore a formalist approach, depicting disjointed figures and faces, not unlike the visions of nude women under Cubism, a European movement which drew heavily from traditional African tribal sculpture. Introducing colour, the pieces mark a departure from Clottey’s previous charcoal works. Clottey will also be showing his wall-based sculptures created from yellow gallon containers. Alongside these sculptures and drawings, Clottey will present a video installation, The Displaced, whichenacts the trade and migration story of the Clottey family. Together with his performance collective GoLokal, Clottey embarks on a symbolic journey of remembrance on Labadi Beach, Accra.
Gerald Chukwuma explores migration as a constant process of transformation and reinvention. Considering the implications of globalisation on his local community, Chukwuma transforms everyday materials to render new stories of Nigeria’s socio-political landscape. Known for his intricately crafted wood-slate sculptures, Chukwuma’s multifaceted approach to burning, chiselling, and painting discarded objects – including found aluminium sheets and wooden planks – captures the nation’s richly layered history, whilst imbuing his works with both personal and political meaning.
Through his socially engaged and visually rich practice, Yaw Owusu questions the failures of Ghana’s ongoing infrastructural development. Owusu creates sculptural installations that repurpose “pesewa” coins, shifting the value of otherwise worthless materials into things of beauty. First introduced as an attempt to cure the countries economy’s inflation in 2007, these small copper coins have almost no value in today’s financial climate, enabling the artist to use them as a primary material. His work activates urgent questions around economic and political independence in contemporary Ghana.
For more details click here and for more luxury events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi click here.
#LuxeList #LuxeDiary #LuxeEvents #Calendar #LuxeApproved #LuxuryLifestyle #Lifestyle #Magazine #Dubai #AbuDhabi #Art #Gallery #Takeover #LawrieShabibi #Gallery1957
READ THE LUXE DIARY TO DISCOVER LUXURY FASHION, FOOD, ART AND TRAVEL LISTINGS, NEWS AND PROMOTIONS ACROSS DUBAI AND ABU DHABI. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK & ON TWITTER.