Galerie 1957 is pleased to welcome “Love Story: Dancing Hearts“, a solo exhibition by contemporary artist Nana Bruce. Produced during her recent artistic residency at Galerie 1957 in Accra, this presentation will run until August 31 at the art space and will feature collections of acrylic paintings inspired by the poetic voice through which reality, enchantingly expressed, is processed and then shared by all, aware or unaware of its hold on their auditory capacity.
Indeed, “Love Story: Dancing Hearts” is the culmination of a piece of poetry, an extract from the poem entitled “A Lost Song”, known to the artist for almost ten years. In this collection of artworks, Nana Bruce shares narratives made of paint as a means of representing the motricity of the current world in which he evolves. To further establish the artistic identity of his works, each of the paintings in the exhibition is accompanied by a calligraphic poem. In this sense, the poetic piece has been transformed and broken down into several paintings by the artist to fully accompany the depth of the words.
“Love Story: Dancing Hearts” is an investigation into the cause of conflict and the quest for a joy of life perceived as an intimate experience. However, external factors such as the immediate environment and others sabotage people’s quest for this fulfillment. In her artistic practice, Nana Bruce illuminates our shadows, our pale bodies prey to fears, by projecting luminous thoughts and emotions onto these paintings, enjoining visitors to question themselves and find a tangible resolution capable of removing them from this state of disillusionment.
In order to create a powerful, expressive art form, the contemporary artist paints with acrylic on canvas, using a number of bristle brushes ranging from very soft to hard, various color palettes and masking tape to create different textures. These artistic techniques have enabled him to easily capture different moods, lending greater sensitivity to his creations, and also allowing him to create a tragedy to invite the viewer into a world of inquiry in which the works can be engaged.
In addition to presenting emotionally inspiring works, Nana Bruce highlights calligraphy, an art form that has almost been forgotten on the Accra art scene in favor of new technologies. He accompanies the paintings in the exhibition with a text written by Elikplim Akorli, which is then calligraphed to anchor and clearly introduce the additional poems and position them as the souls and guardians of the paintings on display.
Identified as an observer of society, “Love Story: Dancing Hearts” appears as a showcase where the artist clearly unveils silent thoughts and interrogations to take the audience hostage. Nana Bruce projects a story, creatively presented and enhanced by her art, through a variety of striking color tones.
