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New Art at Elegba Folklore Society, “SANKOFA”
February 1, 2019 @ 5:00 pm - April 30, 2019 @ 9:00 pm
NEW ART AT ELEGBA FOLKLORE SOCIETY, “SANKOFA,” features paintings by Ghanaian artist Ben Agbee.
“It is the love of African ways of life,
the natural environment, extended families
and strong communities that my paintings depict.”
Sankofa is the Asante Adinkra symbol, or expression of wisdom that means “go back and fetch it.” In his paintings, Agbee welcomes the viewer to as he says, “look back to the Motherland to see its future. There is natural power in our earthy relationships among people — the simple things that, in my work, are visual reminders of the cultural richness of everything that is African — respect, appreciation, unity.”
His palette knife and brush techniques create a unique vibrancy that makes his work stand out in synonymousness with his name in the industry and in the marketplace. His works are a visual preservation of foundational Ghanaian values despite, as Agbee laments, “the negative impacts and distractions of Western influences.”
Art speaks. This is Ben Agbee’s second exhibition at Elegba Folklore Society. He has exhibited in Europe, Canada and other US locations in addition to various West African nations. His work has been committed to cards, bags, calendars and the like and can be found in gift shops at the Smithsonian and elsewhere. Agbee’s original works reside in numerous collections worldwide.
Living in his choice to give back, Agbee donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his work to support young artists at the Opportunities Industrialization Centre, where he also received training.
Make one of these evocative canvasses your own.
Frame it to match your spirit and your environment.
For more, contact Elegba Folklore Society at 804.644.3900 or story1@efsinc.org.