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Lot Essay
Owusu-Ankomah’s work has evolved over time, originally centering on the human figure and the natural world, as well language, meaning and the interplay between these elements. Gradually, his figures have recessed into grids of symbols, as if mankind has drowned in his own symbols and meanings. After moving to Europe in the early 1990s, Owusu-Ankomah began focusing on figures that are inscribed with traditional African designs. He began decorating his figures with symbols from the 400-year-old Adinkra sign system, traditionally printed on textiles by the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
A former bodybuilder, ideas surrounding rhythm and movement are integral to Owusu-Ankomah’s work. Tanz (meaning dance in German) conveys these interests, depicting three male figures in movement. The black and white pattern is juxtaposed with a stylised red and white background that alludes to rhythm. As the artist writes: ‘To move is to strive for perfection. The human has been on the move at all times. Movement of peoples, the shifting of cultures and religions. Free or forced migration of peoples is a form of movement’.
Obey depicts a figure in a landscape at rest, we have the three most important elements all represented; the figure, the natural world and the world of signs. The figure is overlaid with text in English, and occupies the majority of the canvas as he appears to gaze into an abyss. The words which peer through the figure’s body include ‘heavens, luxurious, numbered’: man-made concepts and symbols of the phenomenal world. The figure sits in the middle of a luscious green oil paint background. The green background represents nature, this early work shows Owusu-Ankomah potentially right before his adoption of the Adinkra system, with its entire proverbs embedded into the singular symbol.
Owusu-Ankomah studied Fine Arts at the Ghanatta College in Accra before moving to Bremen, Germany. His work is in public collections including the British Museum, London; the Hood Museum of Art, Hanover and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Group exhibitions include Africa Remix, the Dakar Biennale (2006); Journeys and Destinations, National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. (2003); Heroes, Sages and Saints at the Ghana National Museum, Accra (2004); and A Fiction of Authenticity, The Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis (2003). In 2006, Ankomah designed the official art edition published for the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Owusu-Ankomah is represented by October Gallery, London.
A former bodybuilder, ideas surrounding rhythm and movement are integral to Owusu-Ankomah’s work. Tanz (meaning dance in German) conveys these interests, depicting three male figures in movement. The black and white pattern is juxtaposed with a stylised red and white background that alludes to rhythm. As the artist writes: ‘To move is to strive for perfection. The human has been on the move at all times. Movement of peoples, the shifting of cultures and religions. Free or forced migration of peoples is a form of movement’.
Obey depicts a figure in a landscape at rest, we have the three most important elements all represented; the figure, the natural world and the world of signs. The figure is overlaid with text in English, and occupies the majority of the canvas as he appears to gaze into an abyss. The words which peer through the figure’s body include ‘heavens, luxurious, numbered’: man-made concepts and symbols of the phenomenal world. The figure sits in the middle of a luscious green oil paint background. The green background represents nature, this early work shows Owusu-Ankomah potentially right before his adoption of the Adinkra system, with its entire proverbs embedded into the singular symbol.
Owusu-Ankomah studied Fine Arts at the Ghanatta College in Accra before moving to Bremen, Germany. His work is in public collections including the British Museum, London; the Hood Museum of Art, Hanover and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Group exhibitions include Africa Remix, the Dakar Biennale (2006); Journeys and Destinations, National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. (2003); Heroes, Sages and Saints at the Ghana National Museum, Accra (2004); and A Fiction of Authenticity, The Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis (2003). In 2006, Ankomah designed the official art edition published for the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Owusu-Ankomah is represented by October Gallery, London.