October 9th 2023.
On October 8th, the Denver Art Museum was honored to unveil the travelling art exhibition, "Soul of Black Folks", by Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo. This title was drawn from the famous 1903 book by Pan-Africanist W.E.B. DuBois with the same name.
The exhibition had caught the eye of Christoph Heinrich, the institute's director. Upon seeing the exhibit, he said to the Denver Gazette: "It really only took us a few moments to make a decision. This is a show we really want to show; he's truly one of these cosmopolitan, emerging artists with very deep roots in his country of origin, Ghana."
Boafo was raised in Accra, Ghana, a place that also happens to be the resting place of W.E.B. DuBois. According to the Seattle Museum of Art, Boafo's proximity to the sociologist heavily inspired his work. In particular, Boafo drew from DuBois' idea of "double consciousness", which describes the struggle of Black people to maintain their cultural identity while still assimilating with white society.
Using bright colors and textured finger painting, Boafo's display offers an intimate and colorful representation of Black life. His work has received international acclaim, but this is his debut solo museum exhibition - one he created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through his art, Boafo challenges the modern commodification of Black people and their continued oppression.
The exhibition was developed in partnership with Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and the Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco, and it was curated by Ghanaian-American cultural critic Larry Ossei-Mensah. At the Denver grand opening, which was captured by CBS News, Ossei-Mensah called the art "intimate" and "tender".
"Soul of Black Folks" features 30 works created between 2016 and 2022, each centering on Black joy and the Black gaze. The showcase will be available at the Denver Museum of Art through February 19th, so don't miss out on this opportunity to experience Boafo's powerful art!
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