Almighty God (2011)
Jack Bell’s new exhibition, Kings of Kumasi: New Painting from the Asante Capital, continues the gallery’s recent focus on West Africa, showcasing work from Ghanaian painters Akwesi Addai, Otchere Azey and Almighty God (yes, really). All three live and work in Ghana’s second city, Kumasi, which is known for its vibrant cultural life and in particular its lively street painting scene. The show promises fantastical imagery and religious themes, as well as social and political commentary, all tied together through imaginative use of colour, text and visual drama.
For anyone interested in a more detailed look at sign painting in Kumasi, as well as the history of Ghanaian art more generally, I’d recommend artist and scholar Atta Kwami’s book on the subject, Kumasi Realism, 1951-2007: An African Modernism.
Show: 5th May – 11th June
Opening hours:
Wed-Sat, 12-6
Jack Bell Gallery
276 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London
SW1
African Art in London 
May 5, 2011 at 10:29 pm
hi Jack, great stuff…hope the exhibition draws throngs, now that the wedding is past-great timing
May 7, 2011 at 11:50 am
Thought you might be interested in this article on contemporary African art in this month’s frieze magazine:
http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/speak-now/
May 13, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Thanks for this link. It’s a great article, which draws out many of the issues currently making this field so fascinating.
I think one of the most important points is the contrast between some of the complex and subtle work going on in the arts, on the one hand, and on the other, ridiculous misconceptions from much of the wider world – including, it would seem, leaders of major European countries…
Clearly there’s still much to be done, but artists and other arts professionals can take heart from the brilliant work already being undertaken, and the promise of more to come.