Stench of Silence
During the Silence between the Lines exhibition (20–23 February 2015, PML, Ahenema kokoben, Kumasi, GH), crazinisT artisT presented a titled performance, 'Stench of Silence' among the many provoking works of 17 selected artists. His performance occupied the exhibition space in total nakedness, socked in olive oil and chained to the ceiling, hanging for five hours during the opening section.
crazinisT embodies the total objectification, alienation and the disconnection of the voiceless from the human society. As described by the curatorial team, "he is a shape 'shifter', form 'deformer' and a gender bender whose works enact a form of resistance through non-action that emerges as powerful presence".
‘Silence between the Lines’ is a thoughtful selection of artists who are at the centre of an emergent wave of contemporary art in Ghana. Their varied visions, radical in their conception and execution, can be understood as anagrams of a transformative future. Contemporary art in Ghana is experiencing new international attention. The new attention is fueled by the growing importance of the Kumasi College of Art as a leading hub of contemporary art in Ghana and West Africa. This show celebrates this new international success and is the first major exhibition of its kind in Kumasi.
(Silence between the Lines curatorial Team, 2015)
Participating artists:
Bernard Akoi-Jackson, Dorothy Amenuke, Gideon Asmah, Lawrence Baganiah, Edwin Bodjawah, Yaw Brobbey Kyei, Eugene Edzorho, crazinisT artisT (Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi), Adjo Kisser, Farouk, Haajar Ameen Kudos, Ibrahim Mahama, Mavis Tetteh-Ocloo, Emmanuel Opoku Manu, Yaw Owusu, Emmanuel Kwaku Pianim, Jeremiah Quarshie
organized by Ɛyε | Contemporary Art Ghana and directed by kąrî’kachä sei’dou
Co-curators: Robin Riskin, Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh, Bernard Akoi-Jackson
Coordinators: Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu, George Ampratwum (blaxTarlines KUMASI)