New contemporary gallery to open in Accra, Ghana

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In March, Gallery 1957 is to open in Ghana’s capital Accra. The project is conceived by British construction magnate, Marwan Zakhem, a collector who began acquiring art when he moved to Africa 15 years ago.

 

 

Zakhem will donate his personal collection to the gallery which is to be located in a 140 square meter space within the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City.  Gallery 1957 plans to commission new works by artists Zohra Opoku, Jeremiah Quarshie, Yaw Owusu and Ibrahim Mahama.  

The gallery’s name, 1957, refers to the year in which Ghana gained independence. Zakhem hopes to bring to international attention the “wealth of talent in Ghana” and the “intense, politically driven works” being produced by the nation’s young artists.

The inaugural exhibition is to feature the work of local Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey.
 

Image: Serge Attukwei Clottey, Awaiting (Europe in the Eyes of Africa Series), 2013, courtesy of the artist and Gallery 1957, Accra