Galerie Espace Lorraine
From www.widewalls
From www.widewalls
“The Ghanaian movie posters have made their way to museums, galleries and private collections.”
Two flour sacks make a perfect canvas
Ghanaian movie posters are painted by hand, on a piece of canvas that’s usually made out of flour sacks. They say that the perfect poster size would be made by sewing two canvas sacks together. That kind of a DIY quality corresponded to the whole bootleg cinema phenomenon. The artists, who often signed their posters as they would do with regular artwork, used that canvas to create cinematic, imagination-driven and hugely interpretive paintings. Every artist brought their own distinctive touch to each movie they had the task to promote. And all of them made the movies way gorier than they actually were. Although the posters were made pretty durable, the extensiveness of their usage made them appear older than they are. If you get an authentic poster from some 20 years ago, it will probably look way older. But that’s a part of their charm.
Ghanaian hand-painted movie posters can be Lucrative in the Internet Age
If the Ghanaian movie posters have little in common with their Hollywood paragons, it’s because the artists who painted them didn’t even see the original movie posters. They often painted posters not having seen the movies they were for. The quality of a poster, therefore, depended on the way the movie was retold to an artist. The recent interest in Ghanaian movie posters, sparking the entrepreneurial spirit of Ghana’s artists, is happening in the age of internet. Today, the artists don’t have to imagine everything by themselves. If you order a poster from your favorite Ghanaian artist, chances are that they’ll look for the inspiration online. Don’t be worried – all the features of the movement are there, and knowing what a movie is about is actually quite likely to lead to an even wackier interpretation of it. Just look at this custom made Mrs. Doubtfire poster commissioned by a video store in Chicago!
Movie posters spark interest as a standalone art form Ghanaian Movie Posters are perfect for film and art lovers.
Many collectors like posters. So, if you want a poster of your favorite movie on your wall (but don’t like the original or just think that would be too trivial), here’s a tip: order a hand-painted version of it from Ghana! Yes, you read that right. You’ll always get something to admire: if you’re not interested in the traditional craft, you’ll have a quirky and sometimes unexpected reading of a famous movie title.
The Ghanaian movie posters have made their way to museums, galleries and private collections.
The world wide web has sparked a new interest in them, and commissioning them is easier than ever. But, be careful: every artist has their own distinct style. Like in any other kind of art, “just any” artist or poster wouldn’t do. A hand-painted movie poster from Ghana will, however, always be fun. Although the art world these days is all about printed releases, hand-painted works on flour sacks remain desirable. It’s interesting to see a poster detached simultaneously from the movie it represents, from its target audience, and from its intended usage, which, to be honest, never really required so detailed and authentic work.
Ghanaian art, as well as African art in general, is quite marginalized on art market (who would actually think about Ghanaian movie posters, right ?). There are artists, such as El Anatsui who managed to enter the market, however, there are many artists who cannot manage to become visible to the global contemporary art scene. There is a misperception that Ghanaian art, like African art in general, is traditional and conservative. However, this is not true. There are a lot of amazing contemporary artists whose work and practice can be compared with „Western“ artists. Unfortunately, political and economic situation also influences the position of artists, and disable them to become more visible in the global scene.
