Owusu-Ankomah

Owusu-Ankomah was born in Sekondi, Ghana in 1956, a year before independence from British colonial rule. He studied at Ghanatta College of Art in Accra before moving in 1986 to Bremen in Germany where he now lives and works. His paintings depict a spiritual world, without light and shadow, occupied by people and symbols. The way in which his figures coexist with the symbols in his paintings has moved through several distinct phases which reflect Owusu-Ankomah’s own spiritual journey. His early work drew heavily on the ancient traditions of masquerade and rock painting in Africa; then his figures seemed to shed their masks and body painting to become boldly, unashamedly visible.

In his most recent works, painted mainly in black and white, the figures, though still bold, naked and powerful, are covered in complex symbols which, in a studied trompe l’oeil effect render them almost invisible against a fixed backdrop composed of similar symbols. The presence of an eye, a nose or an ear alerts us to the hidden form behind, sometimes delicately picked out with a thin red line of paint that reveals the entire figure. Owusu-Ankomah is profoundly influenced by the work of Michelangelo and also by the philosophy of his own Akan-speaking peoples of Ghana, a philosophy reflected in their adinkra symbols, each of which represents a particular concept or proverb. Owusu-Ankomah invests his figures with the intense energy of Michelangelo’s figures, and then paints over their bodies with the collective wisdom of the Akan people in the form of adinkra symbols. Yet he infuses this traditional lexicon of adinkra with Chinese calligraphy and other well-known logos, as well as with symbols of his own invention. October Gallery will exhibit a solo show of new work in 2014.

Artist’s Statement:
‘I’m an artist who paints for humankind and who just happens to come from Africa.’

Exhibitions

Microcron – Kusum (Secret Signs – Hidden Meanings)
From Courage to Freedom
Angaza Afrika - African Art Now