John Akomfrah’s upcoming Exhibition
Found yourself dreaming of admiring artworks in Galleries and Museums once more? Remember leaning so close that you could see each brushstroke, almost smell the paint long since dried? That electric feeling when you discover a work for the very first time? The clip clop of heels echoing in large spaces, the giggle of young lovers in a corner, the murmur of friends debating a work- Life and art intertwined.
While access to Galleries and Museums continues to change worldwide, this week the UK announced their plans for tentative steps back towards freedom. Naturally, this got us thinking about what exhibitions we’d love to see, that we might actually get to… One of those being:
The Exhibition
John Akomfrah: The Unintended Beauty of Disaster
Lisson Gallery in London will be unveiling a series of new and recent works from John Akomfrah. The exhibition will feature footage filmed over the past 6 months, the work responding directly to the events of 2020, in particular the Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations against imperialist monuments, presenting a rethinking of historical narratives.
In addition to this, for it’s first UK showing is the three screen film installation, Four Nocturnes (2019) which was commissioned by the inaugural Ghana Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale.
This exhibition is timely and needed and Akomfrah’s particular voice is one we would very much like to hear.
The Artist
John Akomfrah -Ranked No. 1 in Ghana, No. 29 in the UK and No. 370 Globally.
Akomfrah is a revered artist, filmmaker, lecturer and writer. His work examines colonialism, the Black diaspora, and environmental degradation.
The use of the three screen film installation now being indicative of his style, with his weaving in of archival and new footage, still photography, soaring soundtracks, and voiceovers, aids his recurrent conversations between the past and the present and combines to create his affecting works. His installations are a catalyst for us to reflect on our collective consciousness.
The Gallery
Lisson Gallery -Ranked No. 1 in the UK, and No. 6 Globally. -Locations in London, New York and Shanghai. Established in 1967 by Nicholas Logsdail, Lisson Gallery has grown along with the careers of many of its earlier artists to become one of the world’s leading galleries for contemporary art.
Spanning the generations, they’ve worked with the likes of Sol Le Witt, Anish Kapoor, Ai Wei Wei, Susan Hiller and Laure Prouvost to name but a few. Here’s to having our lives enriched, and our minds enlightened by being able to experience art close up once more.
The world is (slowly, and at different stages) opening up, make sure to submit your upcoming exhibitions from every corner of the globe.
Let’s make history happen.
The Artfacts Team