Ghanaian artist Jeremiah Quarshie paints hyperrealistic portraits of the women that he sees around the capital city of Accra, where he lives and works.
He creates his highly detailed works by painting from original photographs that he takes in his studio. Quarshie uses models who reenact staged scenes as part of the photographic process.
“Staged photographs on occasion serve as complete works of art,” he says. “Some of these photographs are created by superimposing Ghanaian elements on other non Ghanaian contexts creating rather unusual situations in very unique ways.”
In this latest series, “Yellow is the Colour of Water” Quarshie takes aim at “broader questions of hope in failing political systems.”
“Rituals are often associated with commerce, social status, social problems, fashion and technology,” he says. “Ironical contexts can be seen when one singles out an everyday practice. The contexts are usually found in everyday Ghanaian life.”
“Yellow is the Colour of Water” opens at Gallery 1957, Accra, on August 18th.
[…] transforms their likenesses into breathtaking, hyper-realistic works of art that aims to critique failing political systems, and “the very things that break us apart: nationality, race, culture,” as he tells […]