EVENT LANGUAGE: GERMAN.

In fall 2024, the Belvedere will present the first institutional exhibition in Europe of the artistic work of Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo (* 1984 in Accra). As one of the most important voices of a new generation of Black artists, Boafo portrays friends, acquaintances and public figures in his paintings, which convey a contemporary image of Black self-empowerment and self-awareness.

The works embody the idea of a Black identity that is fed by one’s own culture, which is to be understood as an act of resistance against racist attributions by the white majority society. This form of Black subjectivity is also expressed in the appearance of the people portrayed, who confront the viewer as self-confident individuals and often seek direct eye contact. Boafo stages the clothing like collages with paper textures that not only borrow from floral and geometric wallpaper patterns, but also make references to historical and political dress codes of Black culture. The artist’s intensive preoccupation with Black history is subtly reflected in the paintings when literary works by central pioneers of the Black freedom movement are used as motifs.

FULLY BOOKED