"Harman Projects, in conjunction with Spoke Art and Deadly Prey Gallery, is pleased to announce an exhibition of hand-painted movie posters from Ghana. The origin of this artistic movement has its roots in the 1980s with the rise of mobile cinemas across the country of Ghana. Promotional posters were created to support these traveling VHS screenings, and were painted on recycled flour sacks by local artists who freely reimagined films through bold colors, exaggerated action, and inventive (and sometimes made-up) visual storytelling."
"Unbound by studio marketing guidelines, these works often departed radically from their source material, transforming global action, horror, and martial arts films into distinctly Ghanaian visions that blended fantasy, spectacle, and local cultural sensibilities. Over time, these posters gained international recognition for their raw energy, graphic ingenuity, and status as both functional advertising and autonomous artworks. Artists such as Heavy J, Joe Mensah, and Stoger helped define the genre's visual language."
An exhibition presents hand-painted Ghanaian movie posters that originated with 1980s mobile cinemas and traveling VHS screenings. Local artists painted promotional posters on recycled flour sacks, reimagining films through bold colors, exaggerated action, and inventive visual storytelling. Free from studio marketing constraints, the posters frequently departed from source material, transforming global action, horror, and martial arts films into Ghanaian visions blending fantasy, spectacle, and local cultural sensibilities. Over time the works gained international recognition for raw energy and graphic ingenuity, functioning as both advertising and autonomous artwork. Contemporary Ghanaian artists continue and expand this legacy, treating the hand-painted poster tradition as homage and reinvention.
Read at Juxtapoz
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]