Jeremiah Quarshie - Memories of Yellow: A Game of Power & Chance: Gallery II

In 'Memories of Yellow: A Game of Power and Chance', Jeremiah Quarshie weaves themes of unpredictability, memory, and power into a vivid exploration of Accra's water crisis. The exhibition stirs up reflections on the enduring social and economic challenges facing Ghana, restaging them in an emotionally charged constellation of works that offer a nuanced reflection on the resilience of everyday Ghanaians.

Growing up in a country where the past is ever-present, Quarshie's work explores how historical issues persist, highlighting objects that should be forgotten relics but have obtained an iconic status, remaining integral to everyday life. The nation vents through these everyday items, revealing the deep-seated challenges that continue to shape contemporary life. At the heart of the exhibition are towering gallon thrones—both seats of power and burdens of survival—occupied by Ghanaian women whose varied histories and experiences embody the complexities of resilience and endurance.

The portraits in the exhibition are characterised by the boundaries of portraiture, studio photography, appropriation from Old Masters' traditions, and a unique realism which questions the construction of imagery and picture-making. His subjects—often friends or women he recruits from diverse walks of life—bring an authentic, lived-in quality to his work.

 

With these pieces, Quarshie revisits and expands upon themes from his 2016 exhibition at Gallery 1957, Yellow Is The Colour Of Water, curated by Robin Riskin. This show marked the first time the iconic yellow gallons took centre stage as a central motif in his work. Haunted by the same things—both the cultural symbolism and significance of these yellow gallons (popularly known as the 'Kufour gallons') and the queens who ruled their kingdom posing amid a pile of them—his new pieces time-travel to those earlier moments, creating space for review, re-encounter, and re-engagement.

 

By drawing visitors into this interplay of game, chance, and reality, Quarshie transforms the gallery space into an immersive experience. Rather than passively observing, audiences are compelled to participate, to make choices, and to confront the unsettling reality that, much like in Ludo, winning—or simply finding water—is never guaranteed. Will you find your way through, or will the maze of chance leave you searching?

 

This exhibition also marks the 9th anniversary of Gallery 1957, celebrating nearly a decade of championing contemporary art and amplifying diverse voices from Africa and the Diaspora.

 

 

- Excerpt of Curatorial text by Samuel Baah Kortey

 

 

 Download the Press Release for the full Curatorial text and for more information.