March 2023, New York – Opera Gallery New York is pleased to present I Miss Us, a solo exhibition by Ghanaian artist Adjei Tawiah, curated by Chantel Akworkor Thompson. The show will open to the public from March 15th through April 11th, 2023, at 791 Madison Avenue, New York, NY. Through this new collection of portraits, Tawiah explores the enduring emotions that continue to linger after a relationship breaks down when Us becomes I.
Focusing on memory’s role in shaping the legacy of ‘lost’ Love, Tawiah’s portraits capture melancholy moments. Moments induced by memories of a love once had that meander in the mind, shooting arrows of anguish towards the heart. Alone, hearts overwhelmed, time takes leave as the individuals stand frozen in time, whether alone in a silk-laden embrace, hearts beating in sync, surrendering to Love. With skin rendered in an exquisite lucid cobalt hue with a pearl-like sheen, swirled and laced with ivory black, Adjei’s portraits exude opulence. Their vulnerability lures us into a state of reflection, offering us an opportunity to meditate on our own heartbreaks. This is Tawiah urging us to consider how one heals if we allow pain to wipe out the memory of Love. Can Love remain when the relationship ceases to exist when Us is no more? Using his signature nylon sponge material, popularly used in his home country of Ghana for bathing, Tawiah creates a metaphor for healing, the element of the grieving process he wants us to contemplate. What is left when the pain subsides, and we let go of the attachment to the human who once was in our presence?
About Adjei Tawiah
Adjei Tawiah (b. 1987) is a Ghanaian artist living and working in Accra, after studying at the Ghanatta College of Art and Design. He is characterized by his unique painting technique, which involves the use of a nylon sponge, popularly used in his home country of Ghana for bathing. Named “Sponge Martial”, this relentless method is reminiscent of the cleansing of his mother’s body in the mortuary. The sponge reveals vibrant figurative representations, which conveys this idea of cleansing through art, where darkness is metamorphosed into color and brightness.
Tawiah had his first solo exhibition with Gallery 1957 in London in January 2022, and many shows in Ghana and in the USA (New York and Los Angeles), one in 2021 being curated by Kehinde Wiley. He has been mentioned in influential papers such as the New York Times and Fad Magazine.
About Chantel Akworkor Thompson
Chantel Akworkor Thompson is an educator, writer and independent curator based in Accra, Ghana. She is the founder of DēpART consultancy, which supports early-career artists in Ghana, bridging the knowledge gap between their home studios and the international market. Alongside this, she runs Beyond the Black Canvas, an online platform exclusively dedicated to the stories of Black artists and their works. At the end of last year, she curated Side by Side, a group show featuring Amoako Boafo and his contemporaries to mark the launch of his residency space dot. ateliers. And she also worked on The World Reimagined, The UK’s largest national art education project for racial justice.
Opera Gallery
Founded by Gilles Dyan in 1994 and internationally established with galleries and locations worldwide, Opera Gallery is one of the leading dealers in Modern and Contemporary art, placing works in major private collections and leading public institutions. Opera Gallery has galleries in New York, Miami, Bal Harbour, Aspen, London, Paris, Monaco, Geneva, Dubai, Beirut, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, and soon to be open Madrid gallery. Opera Gallery New York, led by Deputy Director Laura Adams Miller, presents high-caliber art through intricately curated exhibitions of works from Contemporary and Modern masters.
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