London-based Barbadian artist Andrew Pierre Hart is presenting his first solo exhibition at Gallery 1957 in Accra, Ghana, with The Listening Sweet II Ghana, on view until January 20, 2025. This exhibition brings together paintings, murals, and sculptures, illustrating the profound synergy between visual art and sound that defines Hart’s practice. The works, created during a two-month residency in Ghana, draw from the country’s cultural and historical resonances, reflecting both local roots and a diasporic perspective.
An Exploration Between Painting and Sound
Andrew Pierre Hart stands out for his interdisciplinary approach, merging visual arts with the sonic universe. A former DJ and founder of the Deepart label, he translates musical improvisation techniques and rhythmic exploration into his paintings and installations. His works are infused with a personal sonic mythology, embodied by figures such as Sonara and Blacqousti, two sound deities that invite the viewer into an experience of healing and deep listening.
The exploration of rhythm and sonic spatiality is omnipresent in his compositions. While no literal drums appear in his canvases, their symbolism is ever-present. Hart draws inspiration from Ghanaian musical culture and its rich percussive heritage to structure his pictorial space. The tamalin, a rectangular drum reminiscent of a stretched canvas, becomes a metaphor for the forms and textures that populate his works.
A Vibrant Palette Inspired by Ghana
One of the defining visual signatures of The Listening Sweet II Ghana is its intense color palette. The hues evoke Ghana’s national aesthetic, embodying both national pride and social tensions—especially in an election year marked by protests. These striking colors serve as both a celebration and a form of visual resistance, echoing the country’s contemporary realities.
During his residency, Hart engaged in critical reflections on sociopolitical issues, including Galamsey (illegal mining) and grassroots protests, which he observed and participated in. This experience translates into a graphic and gestural intensity that gives his murals an almost musical dynamism.
A Muralesque Improvisation in Harmony with Space
Hart’s murals emerge as spontaneous dialogues with the gallery’s architecture. Drawn directly onto the walls without preliminary sketches, they embody a free and instinctive gesture, where flowing lines and shapes create a sort of visual score. This approach echoes the pictorial traditions of the Gurunsi villages in northern Ghana, where mural painting is a performative and communal act.
Through this process, Hart develops a graphic cartography that explores the transition from sound to image. He unveils rhythmic patterns and sonic codifications, drawing inspiration from both Yoruba divination systems and modern graphic scores.
A Connection Between Diasporas and Multiple Temporalities
One of the most fascinating aspects of this exhibition is the way Hart interweaves the diasporic realities of London, Barbados, and Ghana. His work is embedded in a historical and cultural continuum where past, present, and future coexist in a fluid dynamic. By confronting Western aesthetics with African and Caribbean references, he creates spaces of interaction where identities and memories engage in dialogue.
The Listening Sweet II Ghana illustrates this temporal fluidity, inviting spectators to reflect on listening and attentiveness to the resonances of history and the present. Andrew Pierre Hart orchestrates a sensory and intellectual experience that aligns with the grand tradition of contemporary African art while infusing it with a fresh and deeply personal perspective.