Derrick Ofosu Boateng
The Shades of Our Proverbs
ADA \ contemporary art gallery, Accra, Ghana
8 June - 10 July, 2022
Self Portrait [Prayer purifies the soul, charity purifies
wealth, and the bath purifies the body] 2021
Courtesy Derrick Ofosu Boateng and ADA \ contemporary art gallery
Asafo Ntoma [One does not treat an important matter
as if it were a mere trifle] 2021
Courtesy Derrick Ofosu Boateng and ADA \ contemporary art gallery
DERRICK OFOSU BOATENG is a Ghanaian fine art photographer and practitioner, inspired by the rich and authentic traditional cultures of Africa and the continent’s contemporary practices. Through the use of visual iconography and poetry, he brings the teachings and proverbs of Ghana’s Akan tribe to life, revealing the positivity, strength and joys within his community.
The Shades of Our Proverbs is a body of work from 2021 – 2022 that unveils Boateng’s imaginary narratives through embedded proverbial sayings from the Akan tribe of Ghana. The bright-coloured pictographic images serve as a wonderful amalgamation of interpreting ancient rituals through a modern lens. Boateng wants his audiences to draw on indigenous knowledge in their critical understanding of the world around us. Asafo Ntoma: (One does not treat an important matter as if it were a mere trifle), for example, boarders on the universal ethics of taking matters seriously and acknowledging the superficial. The subject, draped in traditional Ghana kente cloth, playfully poses with his boxing gear, ready to take the world on.
The vibrant digital portraits, take the viewer on an exciting visual journey, bursting with life, feel-good mundane scenes, saturated colours, whimsical motifs and emotive metaphors.
I started this journey with passion and that passion is what has led me to perceive an extraordinary beauty. Nothing has changed with respect to the richness of African art, it is the bridge of understanding that is broken. Many see but do not understand the intensity of the messages that are being disseminated, look closely and witness visual proverbs.- Derrick Ofosu Boateng
The Shades of Our Proverbs is viewed as a vehicle for communicating Boateng’s visual proverbs as crafted from belief systems and behavior of groups and individuals within the society. Each subject or image is inspired by an Akan proverb, creating enhanced realities and interactive energies.
DERRICK OFOSU BOATENG
Derrick Ofosu Boateng is a fine art photographer and practitioner of an African Art movement that creates through the lens of Hue-ism. Inspired by the richness of African culture, Derrick Ofosu Boateng’s contemporary photography aims to influence the world’s perception of Africa and its art, often viewed through a limited lens in film and media. Through Derrick Ofosu Boateng’s art, he is inspired to represent the beauty in the meaning of color and visual poetry of everyday African culture, lifestyles and behaviors thereby “changing the perception on how the world views Africa.”
Though taken in Ghana, Derrick Ofosu Boateng believes that the intimate images he captures are a representation of life anywhere on the continent. "Photography has always made me happy, since I was a child, and now it means something important to me because it is the way I have to defend the idea that there is more to Africa than the negativity portrayal." In the global art industry, Africa is still underrepresented, and Derrick Ofosu Boateng strives to connect with an international audience through the reach of his social media platforms, art fairs and respected global galleries.
ADA \ contemporary art gallery
Villaggio Vista, North Airport Road
Airport Residential Area, Accra, Ghana
