PRESENTED BY CHRISTOPHER MOLLER GALLERY
26 JANUARY 2023 – 30 APRIL 2023
'BEAUTIFUL CREATION'
Solo Exhibition by Michael Gah
As with every artist, their personal evolution can be richly felt in their physical expression of the world as they see it, and for Accra born-and-based artist Michael Gah, this is certainly true. His newest body of work and solo exhibition Beautiful Creation is both a display of the artist's intense fascination and reverence for modern African women, and the complexities they face in 21st century life. A show of his development as an artist and as an individual.
Through each detailed piece of work, Gah unveils his interest in revealing, examining and confronting many of the social norms that still govern much of life for women in his Ghanaian homeland, and Africa as a whole, where women seek modernity in their daily lives, but are still expected to adhere to many cultural, societal and even ancestral expectations. His pieces are languid in nature, the elegant drape of fashionable garments falling off his stylish muses, but with each multilayered and brightly hued paint and fabric collage, Gah suggests just how complex the yoke of womanhood is for his female peers.
Known for his own dapper and tailored style, Gah credits his seamstress mother and grandmother for his outlook on life and his work. Their ability to fashion the most lavish, showstopping garments out of seemingly ubiquitous African fabrics has been a fixture since he was a child, and his use of these fabrics pays homage to their own abilities in beautiful creation. While much of Gah's work is seemingly innocuous observation and depiction of daily life and gathering of women in Ghana, there is a common thread where he encourages women to thrive in their present. He is in no way denying the ever-present challenges, obstacles and intricacies present in many women's lives, but there is a sense that he wishes freedom and lightness for women, born of letting go and indeed, forgiving the past.
The subject matter of 'a woman's role in Africa' is thorny, and Gah's leaning into this arena relates to the close relationship with and deep admiration for his mother and grandmother. "I see all women as my inspiration and all humans as beautiful creatures", he says. This new body of work, so deeply African in its visual referencing, is a fitting homage to those who inspire him so deeply, and for whom he wishes a profound lightness of being. Beautiful Creation also symbolises an optimism and positive perception of life and its possibilities – and for Gah and those who collect his extraordinary work, it may be just the balm for the challenges of life as we know it.
Open 26 January 2023 – 30 April 2023.
Visit the Gallery or explore online.
• In-Person viewing at the Gallery: 26 January 2023 – 10 March 2023.
• Online viewing: 26 January 2023 – 30 April 2023.
Press release courtesy Christopher Moller Gallery.
7 Kloofnek Rd
Cape Town
South Africa
christophermollerart.co.za
+27(0) 21 422 1599
Tuesday – Friday • 10h00 – 16h00
Monday & Saturday • Viewings by appointment
Sunday • Closed