Gideon Appah
Growing up in a large family, the works are reflective of a life characterized by strong emotional bonds, religious activities and folklore. Through nostalgic blues, deep green landscapes and charcoal, his dreamlike compositions place typical domestic interiors from 1980s and 90s Ghana against surreal landscapes.
Using thick, rough applications of acrylic upon collaged layers of appropriated posters, prints and photographs, Appah directly references his own familial histories. The posters used - advertising haircuts, barber shops and tailoring - relate to occupations of his aunts, uncles and grandparents, the overall result becoming an artistic archive of communal life in Accra. More
2020:
Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Afikaris Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Frieze New York art fair, Mitchell-Innes & Nash Gallery, New York, United States
2019:
"Love letters", solo show, 1957 Gallery, Accra, Ghana
"Estancia Femsa", Casa Barragan, Mexico City, Mexico
2018:
1:54 Art Fair, Solo booth, New York, US
2017:
"In Pokua's place", solo show, Nubuke Foundation, Accra, Ghana
"Between a life and its dream (Scrawl paintings)", solo show, Absa Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
"Orderly/Disorderly", Ghana Science Museum, Accra, Ghana
"Arising African Perspectives", LKB/G, Hamburg, Germany
"Alternative Facts", The Road Gallery, New York, USA
2016:
"Origins and Lineages", DF Contemporary Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
"Kindle", Gallery2, Johannesburg, South Africa
Johannesburg Art Fair, Kuenyehia Art Prize, Johannesburg, South Africa
Turbine Art Fair, Gallery2, Johannesburg, South Africa
2013:
"Sensation", solo show, Goethe Institute, Accra, Ghana
2020:
Art Dubai Residency, Dubai
2017:
Young Ghanaian artist, Nubuke Foundation, Accra, Ghana
2016:
Barclays L’Atelier Residency, Bag Factory Studios, Johannesburg, South Africa
2015:
Barclays L’Atelier Art Competition, Johannesburg, South Africa - Merit Award winner
Kuenyehia Art Prize, Accra, Ghana - Top Ten Finalists
2014:
Live workshop, Clay Objects, Past and Present Aesthetics, Nubuke Foundation, Ghana
2013:
Young Generation Show, TV Africa, Accra, Ghana
Be Bold Show, ETV Ghana, Accra, Ghana
