To accompany the exhibition Freedom Rising: The Art of Owusu-Ankomah, join Papa Essel, Artist and Gerard Houghton, Director of Special Projects and Elisabeth Lalouschek, Artistic Director at October Gallery, for a conversation exploring the complex paintings by the late Owusu-Ankomah.
When starting out, Owusu-Ankomah’s work drew largely on ancient African traditions of rock painting and masquerade, before his figures shed their masks and became mute actors afloat in an ocean of signs. Originally, the accompanying signs were all derived from the adinkra symbol set embodying the traditional wisdom of the Akan people of Owusu-Ankomah’s native Ghana. However, over time symbols from other sources and diverse cultures have also been added, including many novel glyphs devised by the artist himself. The discussion aims to unpack Owusu-Ankomah’s artistic legacy and delve into his application of secret signs and their hidden meanings within his paintings.
Papa Essel was born in Ghana in 1965, studying painting at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi (KNUST) from 1993–96. The university has trained many renowned artists who have subsequently established their names in Ghana and abroad, including El Anatsui, Atta Kwami, and Godfried Donkor, who later migrated to England. Essel then relocated to England in 1996 to obtain a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Art and Design from the Institute of Education at the University of London. Informed by Akan textiles and Adynkra symbols, Essel’s work explores a complex network of themes focusing on Africa's interactions with the Western world, as well as racial and diasporic issues.
Image: Owusu-Ankomah, Microcron - Kusum No.4, (detail), 2011. Acrylic on canvas,135 x 175 cm. © Estate of Owusu-Ankomah. Courtesy Estate of Owusu-Ankomah and October Gallery, London. Photo © Joachim Fliegner.
