Gallery 1957 is pleased to present a presentation of Ghanaian artist, Gideon Appah (b. 1987) on view January 2021 in our London Gallery. In this new body of work, Appah expands on his mystical landscapes and dreamlike narratives in large-scale oil paintings.
A mixed-media artist, Gideon Appah draws from personal experiences to create works seeped in memory, informed greatly by early life experiences in Ghana’s capital, Accra. Growing up in a large family, his works are often reflective of a life characterized by strong emotional bonds, religious activities and folklore.
In new other-worldly works, Appah depicts surreal scenes of unknown figures populating natural landscapes. Introducing jewel-like greens alongside washes of peach and pops of colour, his works reveal barely clothed figures against scenes miraged with tropes from legend and myth.
Through nostalgic blues and verdigris, his worlds are abstracted and fragmented, with glimpses of nature and ghostly reflections barely visible. Through these ethereal works, Appah focuses on presence or feelings evoked, in turn alluding to the organic transformations of memories over time. Using thick, rough application of acrylic to build up his compositions, his works respond directly to his own familial stories, whilst also reflecting on a country’s national history.
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Gideon AppahSons, 2020Acrylics on canvas
(Diptych in progress)240 x 300 cm -
Gideon AppahStrangers on a white horse, 2020Oil and acrylic on canvas240 x 300 cm
94 1/2 x 118 1/8 in -
Gideon AppahBlue River, 2020Oil and acrylic on canvas240 x 300 cm
94 1/2 x 118 1/8 in -
Gideon AppahNight watcher, 2020Oil and acrylic on canvas244 x 183 cm
96 1/8 x 72 1/8 in -
Gideon AppahRex 2, 2020Oil and acrylic on canvas183 x 244 cms
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Gideon AppahStranger, 2020Oil and acrylic on canvas120 x 100 cms
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Gideon AppahDisco, 2020Oil and acrylic on canvas200 x 200 cms
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Gideon AppahGroup of men, 2020Oil and acrylic on canvas130 x 130 cms
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Gideon AppahTwo men on an empty street, 2020Oil and acrylic on canvas177 x 127 cms
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Gideon AppahNonchalance, 2020Oil and acrylic on canvas200 x 150 cms
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Gideon AppahPale Men, 2020Acrylics on canvas244 x 183 cm
