By John Owoo
(In Accra – Ghana)
Over sixty large-scale paintings by the Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist / academic Dr. Sela Adjei, which largely draw from Frantz Fanon’s theory of catharsis and the aesthetics of violence, are currently on display at the Museum of Science and Technology in Accra.
Partially inspired by a collection of poems by Dr. Mawuli Adzei, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana (Legon), works on show have been visually reconfigured onto large canvases, which hold modular chromatic palettes that tell highly uncomfortable stories.
Employing distorted human figures in reds and greens, the exhibition focuses on the confluence of state violence and the modes of resistance that accompanies it. Undeniably, a critical observation of his work reveals deep spiritual undertones.
Curated by Nii Dodoo Darku, “Zadokeli” (eclipse of the sun in English) casts references to a number of solar and lunar eclipses that occurred in 2020, which in Ewe esoteric norms connotes misfortunes. Consequently, Adjei visually expands the discussion of analogizing the predicament blacks through a recurring image of a gloomy eclipse.
Adjei’s role here as an artist who draws links between the 2020 eclipses and the rise in anti-black violence and injustice, positions him among the far-seeing priests and diviners who seek answers in an effort to “restore” cosmic and social order through propitiation rites.
The exhibition is being complemented by poems from Elikplim Akorli, which will form a virtual component of the display in order to reach a global audience. As a collaborating artist, Akorli also thrilled patrons at the opening reception with a spoken word performance.
Undeniably, Adjei’s background in multimedia and African Art History allows him to engage in a complex multidisciplinary practice ranging from photography, design, film, digital illustration, painting and sculpture.
He is noted for confronting socio-political phenomena such as the #EndSARS movement and the killing of George Floyd by a policeman in the United States. Indeed, his paintings reveal themselves as a creative outlet that recreates racial memories and haunting images of his iconic black and white biomorphic optical illusions.
Also a researcher and curator with degrees in Communication Design and African Art and Culture from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi) and a PhD in African Studies from the University of Ghana, Legon.
He is a member of the African Studies Association, ACASA, AI4Afrika and the International Society for Folk Narrative Research. Adjei has participated in over twenty exhibitions and curated high-profile exhibitions and art festivals. He has also worked as a curator / art consultant with reputable Art Galleries, Museums, Publishers, Research Institutes and Universities.
The exhibition ends on Sunday June 25, 2023.
