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Nii Amasah's, 'Motherhood'

His attempt to venture an abstraction of the human figure with the sharply uneven outlines produced by his pallet-knife technique is what created, 'Motherhood' – a mother and a child at the market place. The scraggly shapes used in this visual communication rather makes it look too dispersed at first glance although when carefully looked at (view them as overlapping layers forming the various parts of an image) one would notice how closely knit the composition is. I was certainly not the one to abominably insinuate that Nii's work lacked sensation due to its invariably displaced constituents. As a matter of fact, although the artist's objective from the onset was more technical than emotional, Amasah's, 'Motherhood' is surely endowed but with an unelaborated rare sense of feel even in its coarseness, which makes it a masterpiece of unparalleled sensibilities when it comes to Ghanaian abstract paintings. In addition, its shattered glass effect gives the work an exaggerated motion that resembles the exuberance of a Baroque-styled painting - like Jaques Villon's, 'Old Peasant', although without its clearly interpreted detail, which is why the work is an abstract anyways and why Amasah could get away with a crime of vanity. Yes, Amasah could escape unpunished for his use of that independence afforded by abstract art for how far an artist could project his own ideas – in 'Motherhood', he does it like none other I have seen in recent times in Ghana.                                                                                       Subsequent to writing this article, I visited the artist inside his studios at the Amorko Art Gallery on the intersection of the La Beach Road with the Osu Oxford Street, heading in from the direction of the Independence Square. I discovered his prolificacy as he had on display on the walls of the gallery several styles and techniques of paintings including Impressionism, Realism, and Juxtapositions among many others – and of course abstracts.                     One remarkable quality of Nii Amasah's works that stole my curiosity and attention was the quaint moods and riddling perceptions he created especially with his pallet-knife technique - 'Motherhood' being one of those as a result. It later appeared to me that, painting with the pallet-knife was Nii Amasah's vision for art that he hopes to carry to another level. One other pallet knife pseudo-impressionist representation of the Jamestown Lighthouse almost carried the day until I saw what Amasah had done with abstracts in 'Motherhood' – the attention was magnetic and almost psychopathic and I never turned back, 'I think I will do the article on this one' I hurriedly stated, pointing to, 'Motherhood' (my nature is inclined towards things that are not so clear from the start, it helps me weigh how much effort it took me to get to love them).                   The piece possesses the quality of growing on you. As I worked on the article, I would go back and forth from the photographs of the painting that I took; patiently varying the scene selections of my camera to making sure it was beheld in the most appropriate of moods that showed its worth.                        If it wasn't for the ignoble crime of, 'Conflict of Interest', I would bribe Amasah and take 'Motherhood' home with me because even the rotation of the irregular shapes are based upon some cosmic geometry that I am thrilled by its imminent discovery.                                                                       Nonetheless, I shall be generous and leave it for the day when Nii Amasah opens his exhibition at Novotel Hotel in Accra city on August 2nd starting 6pm for other prospective buyers or collectors to also have the chance of possessing, 'Motherhood'.

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Trojan’s Pop Filter

Ghanaian producer and artist Trojan is creating a new genre of the fusion between Hi-life and Pop. He delivers the famous five elements of the Hi-life genre with a worked-on flute. Rather interestingly however, the finished work comes off as a castanet (Frikyiwaa), and then when you syncopate that with other bells such as the Banana Bell and Dawuru, you get that three-in-one sound that Trojan has created which also works perfectly as a novelty effect in this latest release titled, ‘Crying out Loud’.                                                                                       As a sound engineer, no other person knows the truth of the statement more, that when experimenting with an original idea one might end up with something that is entirely different. This is not to say that Trojan has altered the fundamental elements in both of the genres he has fused, but he experiments more with the textures and tones of their soundscape.                                                                                                                         The five elements are not the only ones Trojan covered. If you are very aware of the Hi-Life genre you will know, that the five elements do not come without the accompanying, single-beat-rhythm from the kick drum popularly known as, ‘Gbaangbu’. ‘Gbaangbu’ has evolved in several modern forms of expressions in Ghanaian society to popularly include that two-beat pattern in Azonto. He adds to this the other variation of the Hi-Life rhythm that is oftentimes played on the Conga.                                                   ‘Gbaangbu’, was how church instrumentalists of the day christened that famous single-beat in Hi-Life music. This was when the music of Hi-Life bandstands was finally making their way into churches in the latter part of the 80s. Before, Hi Life was Sichi and then became Palm Wine, and then the colonialists handed over the brass band music to Ghanaians after independence. So before drum kits as we know it now, fully made way into our music, they were played separately in parts - the snare separate from the kick with a clanging pair of cymbals and toms – all played separately (as you would similarly find brass band instruments taken apart). An appropriate re-invention of that is what became popularly known in the churches and then the kick-line was named, ‘Gbaangbu’ to capture how they made it sound during praises.                                                                     Now let’s come to the other part of the fusion which is pop. Remember, ‘Crying out Loud’ is a fusion and therefore will not come straightaway as either of the genres. In the track, Trojan has kept the sound of pop traditionally within the kick and the snare; however he quite brilliantly executes its fusion with Hi-Life using the synthesizers – one playing the rhythm of the same sound and the other harmonizing. Remember also that pop has its roots in the traditional sound of Europe, which is the sound of the Irish and certain Nordic tribes, and even the Jews have some traits of that sound within their musical culture. This sound is what has modernized itself to become what we know as Techno - that single thud of a bass beat going repeatedly as if being set on clockwork. This clockwork of beat serves as the ingredient which makes it best suitable for techno fusion with electronics. Don’t forget that over driven electric guitar phrases streaked across Trojan’s track.                                                             Now vocals, auto-tune has redefined recording music and the way vocals are being used lately in the 21st century. The voice is popularly believed to be the first instrument, yet a great musician once told me that the voice is a spirit and therefore different from our vocal tone. Consequently it forms the heart of most recorded music and it brings life to the instrumental sounds by adding warmth - the warmth of expression, especially of emotion. The lyrics of ‘Crying out Loud’ are sung with vocal dynamics and what is a result of coupling skillful use of technology with expression giving the voice character. Vocals are also beautiful use of harmonics and Trojan’s on ‘Crying out Loud’ has accomplished just that.

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ARTIST STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:

My artistic interest is to continually come up with concepts (of social observation and intuition) that will generate visual themes to create installations to help people visualize how tradition may evolve in a modern context with performances that depict the movement and character of this evolution and a sound that convey its voice.

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Curriculum Vitae:

DK Osei-Yaw

Born October 13, 1983

Currently lives and works in Accra, Ghana

dk.oseiyaw@gmail.com |

www.dkoseiyaw.com

DK Osei-Yaw is an artist whose Baasa Kro project in fine art was launched through Goethe Institut Ghana in Accra. His conceptual art blends performance, sound, video and everyday objects into installations that convey the power in the interplay between tradition and modernity within cultures and societies.

 WORKS:

Solo:

2014 Abenkwan in the Speed of Light (Outdoor), Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Accra

2013 African Image (Baasa Kro), Afrocentric, Accra

2013 Your Feet For A Worthy Cause, Afrocentric Accra

Duo:

2015 Duo exhibition, Goethe Institut Accra (forthcoming)

Group:

2014 Pretty Ugly - URBAN ART MOVEMENT (UAMO) City Tour, Munich

2012 631957632012, Nubuke Foundation, Accra

 ASSISTANT TO:

Rochelle Feinstein (2011 - SmartPower Project Foundation for Contemporary Art (FCA), Accra Ghana)

CURATORIAL PROJECTS:

2014, ‘Pretty Ugly - URBAN ART MOVEMENT (UAMO) City Tour Accra’ Afrocentric, Accra

ARTIST STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:

My artistic interest is to continually come up with concepts (of social observation and intuition) that will generate visual themes to create installations to help people visualize how tradition may evolve in a modern context with performances that depict the movement and character of this evolution and a sound that convey its voice.

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2014 Abenkwan in the Speed of Light, Accra – Performance/Video/Sound:

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WORKS:

2014 Abenkwan in the Speed of Light, Accra – Performance/Video/Sound:

Abenkwan in the Speed of Light, my most recent fine art project held last year 2014 dealing with the subject of globalization and speed where in the politics of Ghanaian food, the artist explores the clash between two proponents of the mode of preparation of a popular Ghanaian dish by name Fufu (a clash between tradition and modernity). One for the pounding of the tubers for making Fufu (oftentimes manioc and plantain) in a traditionally designed wood carved bowl with a pounder, and the other for the stirring in hot boiling water a powdered form of the tubers packaged industrially, an invention only made possible by globalization. by eating Fufu in the traffic lights with cutlery sets in a record time the artists uses his art to generate a new angle or interest in the dialogue to enrich the subject of food, widen its scope and get more people involved especially of global cultures. at the turn of the red lights where all vehicles stop and all focus is at the traffic lights, by setting up a table there and eating Fufu sort of markets art to the society as a potent form of expression for addressing social issues other than orthodox methods to which the society should look out for and are also invited to the table to explore.

2013 African Image (Baasa Kro), Accra – Installation/Video/Sound:

The project used art installations to express this identity and its evolution within the four walls of the exhibition space. There were four installations made by the artist, and each of them had three major elements involved in it, first, ‘a background’, second, ‘an African personality’, and third, ‘a costume or outfit’. The background is a place, it is time captured in the assembling and disassembling of objects found in everyday life here in Ghana and given a poetically romantic appeal. The African personality and their costumes or outfit signify the lavish expression of the global identity among youthful Ghanaians and for that matter Africans who are observed to be in constant attempt to be en-vogue with modern trends in their looks and clothing and as a result consciously or unconsciously lead to what is experimentation between tradition and modernity ‘New Creation’ uses a condition of assembly line packaging to express an identity. An identity of the African work places of Africans working in Multinational or foreign based industries. ‘All Things’ uses the condition on West African beach fronts to express an identity. An identity provocatively expressing the pollution of our beach fronts. ‘More Than A Conqueror’ uses a makeshift condition to express an identity. An identity depicting the incompleteness of forms a common trend seen in the African environment. ‘Highly Favored’ uses the domestic African condition to express an identity. An Identity depicting a relationship between the traditional and suburban, and how the African female serves as the linkage between the two.

 2013 Your Feet For A Worthy Cause, Accra – Installation:

‘YOUR FEET FOR A WORTHY CAUSE’ project interprets the expression, ‘100 Thousand Poets for Change’ from a purely artistic point of view where ‘A 100 Thousand’ represents a crowd moving on a busy sidewalk, with its individual members heading in diverse directions. And ‘Poets for Change’ the second part of the expression, represents a kind of romanticism of the behavior of the crowd’s movement in relation to the goal or motive or objective or movement of the artist, who attempts a unification of the crowd behind one goal for the unique purpose of  change or development.

2012 631957632012, Accra (Group) – Performance / Installation: