Gallery Profile: Gallery 1957 & the Spirit of Independence
March 6th, 2016 — Ghana’s 59th Independence Day: The hotel lobby of Kempsinki Hotel Gold Coast City is flooded with locals, all adorned in items from their mother’s wardrobe. The emotionally charged narrative behind this performance is the brainchild of multi-media artist, Serge Attukwei Clottey.: a personal tribute to the artist’s mother in the aftermath of her death. Notably, this also coincided with the launch of Ghana’s first commercial gallery dedicated to contemporary art — the only gallery to also offer representation.
Labels are de facto alienating - yet African art finds strength its own narrative: at once complex and extremely diverse. The works of contemporary Ghanian artists today are receiving the attention they deserve through the founding of Gallery 1957. Complementing and highlighting the already present art scene in Accra, the gallery provides a curial platform for contemporary Ghanian art across the local community and through to the international market. Founder and Director Marwan Zakhem, with the creative-hand of Creative Director Nana Oforiatta Ayim, are giving a number of artists the flexibility to keep a foot in their home continent while gaining access to wider audiences overseas.
