A Solo Exhibition Titled “Sympathetic Magic” held In Gallery 1957
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- A Solo Exhibition Titled “Sympathetic Magic” held In Gallery 1957
A Solo Exhibition Titled “Sympathetic Magic” held In Gallery 1957
A solo art exhibition titled Sympathetic Magic was held in Gallery 1957 by Daniel Quarshie, showcasing old family albums to narrate the tenderness of lives passing through time and space.
The artist captured through marriages, religious events and ceremonial gatherings familiar to most Ghanaian society. Quarshie Magical is to transform the memories of his parents into monuments.
The artist conveys through his drawings, a cathartic experience of revival of bringing back those who are lost and found again.
The artist’s medium of painting is charcoal which is his best companion and source of continuous experimentation breathes into the work a life of its own.
The medium adopted by Quarshie is moving, captivating and charismatic, and in his own words, “it makes the work something other than just real”.
Through the use of black and white, Quarshie is able to set up the perfect stage for a personal interpretation of the Italian baroque’s biblical painting, emulating a deep and dramatic characteristic approach to light to complement the religious references in his work.
The artist collects analogue photographs, scouted from his own family albums or borrowed from his friends and family archives.
Quarshie’s father was a Minister of Pentecostal Church. The large triptych benediction exhibited in the show was dedicated to his life and duties as the artist depicts him in the act of blessing the newlywed couples of his district. Quarshie was only eight years old when his father died.
Each work is dedicated to a single object who has passed away, whom Quarshie captures in different episodes in the character’s journey.
The artist’s sympathetic attitude in drawing these figures and envisioning this exhibition is driven by his desire to meet his own lost ones again in a lifetime.
The making of these artworks is thus a process of healing and reparation in which Quarshie pushes drawing in new directions to preserve, hold, continue and immortalize these people’s lives through memorialisation.
Sympathetic Magic is an image of Ghanaian and its fundamental culture desire to celebrate all stages of life including transitioning to other places of life.
Gallery 1967 is a curatorial focus on West Africa artist, founded by Marwan Zakhem in 2016. Presenting a programme of exhibitions, installations and performances by the region’s most significant artists, the gallery serves as a vital platform, promoting West Africa’s presence within the art scene by hosting ambitious exhibitions, providing resources for residencies and participating in international art fairs.
By Francis Quasie
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