Celebrating Ghanaian Contemporary Art with Google Arts & Culture
Editor's note: Today we hear from Odile Tevie, Director, Nubuke Foundation. Read about Nubuke Foundation's ongoing partnership with the Google Arts and Culture to showcase Ghanaian art and artists.
Nubuke Foundation has been an arts community anchor in Accra, Ghana for the past 15 years. The multifacetedness and breadth in our programming is a response to the audiences and creative communities who visit our space in the East Legon of Accra. The audiences are a reflection of the neighborhood; migrant communities, academia, middle income communities with focus on schools and in particular young primary and secondary school children and families.
In order to preserve Ghanaian culture and share it with the world, Nubuke Foundation has partnered with Google Arts & Culture to give a global audience the opportunity to virtually experience contemporary art from Ghana. As the first Ghanaian partner to come onboard on Google Arts & Culture, we are thrilled to share over 270 artworks and 9 online exhibits shining light on Ghanaian contemporary art and artists. Our goal is to continue to fuel the creative communities through our new bespoke gallery space in Accra and now also virtually on Google Arts & Culture.
Menkronso Kwesida (Psalm Sunday), Patrick Tagoe-Turkson We first partnered with Google Arts & Culture in 2015, collaborating on the 89plus Residency Program at Google Arts & Culture Lab. Twenty one artists participated in a workshop at the foundation and explored the synergies of technology and art. After the workshop, artist Elisabeth Efua Sutherland was invited in residence at the Google Arts & Culture Lab in Paris, where she presented a performance involving virtual reality, sculptures, dance and developed a performance based on an ancient Akan mythological character from Ghana involving virtual reality, sculptures, dance and sound
From today, you can explore what makes Ghanaian contemporary art so unique from the comfort of your home. Start by discovering the archives of one of Ghana's pioneering photographers James Barnor who covered the declaration of Ghana’s independence at the Old Polo Grounds in Accra, among other important national assignments. See how artist Musah Yussif experienced the COVID-19 lockdown and zoom into the details of his portrait series titled The Saints.’ Delve into Winfred Nana Amoah’s mixed-media portraits of women from his hometown of Hohoe as well as portraits of waste collectors from Accra’s Nima through the collage figurations of artist Rufai Zakari. Learn more about our Young Ghanaian Artist Programme through the artworks of Gideon Appah, Eric Gyamfi and Kwame Asante Agyare. Or visit the coast of Ghana through the paintings of Jonathan Kwegyir Aggrey.
As we embark on this new virtual chapter, we look forward to sharing stories from Ghana’s contemporary art scene and engaging with new creative communities. Art is a celebration of life and a snapshot into our shared history, heritage and identity. We hope you will enjoy exploring our collection on Google Arts & Culture.
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