Jesse Weaver Shipley Curates First International Retrospective of Formative Photographer at Sharjah Art Foundation

Gerald Annan-Forson: Revolution and Image-making in Postcolonial Ghana (1979-1985)

                                    March 7 to July 7, 2022

In collaboration with The Africa Institute, SAF presents the first retrospective of the work of the Ghanaian photographer Gerald Annan-Forson. Featuring photographs primarily taken by Annan-Forson between 1979 and 1985, Revolution and Image-making in Postcolonial Ghana traces the political and social life of Ghana during a period of revolution and transformation, offering a visual story of postcolonial Ghana and its struggles and aspirations in the post-independence period. Annan-Forson's work disrupts viewers' expectations of life in an Africa city. His style of composition, lens focus, formal repetitions, and character representations, as well as his long-term commitment to documenting the changing landscape of Accra, Ghana, challenge understandings of photography as a tool of radical image-making. 

The exhibition is curated by artist and ethnographer Jesse Weaver Shipley, Professor of African and African American Studies and Oratory.

About the Sharjah Art Foundation

Sharjah Art Foundation is located in the historic Art and Heritage Area of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.  Sharjah Art Foundation activities and events take place throughout the year and include exhibitions featuring the work of Arab and international artists, performances, music, film screenings and artist talks as well as extensive art education programmes for children, adults and families.

The exhibition in the news:

Ghana: The power of art to safeguard history and change the future

Sharjah Art Foundation March Meeting 2022: The Afterlives of the Postcolonial