Arts, Culture and Sport

Threads of Art: an exhibition by Ghanaian artist, Emmanuel Yaw Obuobi

Ongoing at the Gallery of African Art, London, is a solo exhibition by renowned Ghanaian artist, Emmanuel Yaw Obuobi. The exhibition titled ‘Threads of Art’ features new and recent work by the artist.

Published

8 years ago

July 25, 2016

Ladi Opaluwa

Emmanuel Yaw Obuobi at the Gallery of African Art

The Gallery of African Art, London, continues in its legacy of showcasing African art to UK audiences. Ongoing at the gallery is a solo exhibition by one of Ghana’s best known artist, Emmanuel Yaw Obuobi. The exhibition titled ‘Threads of Art’, the gallery noted, features new and recent work by the artist who is celebrated for his unique ‘yarn painting’ style.

Obuobi was born into an artistic family in Ghana in July 1957. Though art-inclined since childhood, he studied Architecture at the University of Science and Technology Kumasi, Ghana. He thereafter relocated to Canada where he practised architecture while honing his craft as an artist.

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At the start, Obuobi experimented with different media, form and material before developing his inimitable technique.

“Both in form and substance, his work transcends the parameters of what it is to be an African artist, defying and contorting these constraints with his innovative form and diverse motifs,” Gallery of African Art said of his work. “The beating pulse of his work is woven through the interplay of light and shadow, sharpness and distortion, movement and stillness.”

‘Terrestrial’ by Emmanuel Yaw Obuobi. Photo: Gallery of African Art

The beginning of artistic acclaim

In 1979, Obuobi held his first solo exhibition, ‘Sankofa’ at the British Council, Accra, to great acclaim. Since then, more solo and group exhibitions have followed at venues across the world, especially in Ghana, England (where he is based) and the United States, winning several awards along the way.

Some of his works include portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge received at the Buckingham Palace and at Clarence House.