Running through September 10th
Think about the last time you finger-painted. What feelings resurface? Maybe it was the freedom to experiment? The innocence of that time? Or maybe it was the simple excitement of creating and feeling paint squelch beneath your fingertips? Whatever comes to mind, there’s probably no denying that underlying all those experiences was one emotion: joy. And while you don’t necessarily have to bust out finger paints to revisit that feeling, (I mean that’s your prerogative), swinging by Amoako Boafo’s Soul of Black Folks is one great way to.
Making his Seattle debut at Seattle Art Museum, Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo’s Soul of Black Folks “celebrates the nuance and complexity of Black life globally” and focuses on representing “Black subjectivity, Black joy, and the Black gaze.” The exhibition displays over thirty of his works created between 2016 and 2022.
@theticketsea Making his Seattle debut at @Seattle Art Museum, Ghanian artist #amoakoboafo Soul of Black Folks “celebrates the nuance and complexity of Black life globally” and focuses on representing “Black subjectivity, Black joy, and the Black gaze.” The exhibit, running through September 10th, displays over thirty of his works created between 2016 and 2022. With the fingerpainting technique he uses, Boafo’s glove strokes are energetic and vibrant. Umber browns, blacks and blues, yellow, and red are the dominating colors in these intimate portraits. Perusing through the gallery, viewers will discover a few self-portraits as well, like Reflection I, in which Boafo sits in a Thinker-esque position, gazing at his reflection in a mirror. Of Boafo’s work, guest curator #larryosseimensah ♬ original sound – TheTicketSeattle
With the fingerpainting technique he uses, Boafo’s glove strokes are energetic and vibrant. Umber browns, blacks and blues, yellow and red are the dominating colors in these intimate portraits. Perusing the gallery, viewers will discover a few self-portraits as well, like Reflection I, in which Boafo sits in a Thinker-esque position, gazing at his reflection in a mirror.
Boafo’s lone subjects, though, are often powerful, many with quietly commanding presences as they regard the viewer. Unlike the discomfort and disgust portrayed in Daniel Stewart and Imani Love’s photo series Erosion, Soul of Black Folks exudes warmth and regality, and it’s clear how his subjects are presented instead through the Black gaze.
Another noticeable aspect in Boafo’s work? Fashion. Fun fact: Amoako Boafo even collaborated with Dior for their spring/summer 2021 collection. Many of his subjects have a distinct sense of style, and the material possessions Boafo paints alongside them work to reflect their personality and identity. Of Boafo’s work, curator Larry Ossei-Mensah writes, “[they] serve as means of self-preservation and resistance—a celebration of his identity, Black people, and Blackness.”
With three dynamic locations, Seattle Art Museum has been the center for visual arts in the Pacific Northwest since 1933.
