1-7 October 2019

Breaking away from the traditional gallery experience, the House of African Art (HAART) is a new platform that showcases established and emerging artists from Africa and the diaspora. From 1-7 October, HAART presents its second exhibition, Seeing Sounds, at Copeland Gallery, Peckham. HAART’s pop-up exhibition model, which launched in March 2019 with its inaugural exhibition The Next Wave, creates an engaging environment around visual arts, coupled with a public programme of performances, talks and events.

Showcasing a variety of artwork in which each artist explores the links between sound, music and creativity, Seeing Sounds is presented alongside a schedule of evening talks, spoken word poetry performances and live music. Exhibiting artists include Dennis Osadebe (b. 1991), Derrick Ofosu Boateng (b. 1998), Jumoke Sanwo (b. 1977) and Williams Chechet (b. 1981).

One of the works on show will be an audio-visual installation comprised of 40 select songs, texts and images by Jumoke Sanwo. The Playlist chronicles the last 40 years of the artist’s life and explores the notion of the body as a storage device, instrumental for passing down stories and cultural traditions from one generation to the next.

Dennis Osadebe is a Nigerian mixed media artist best known for his contemporary, vibrant post-pop style. Osadebe uses a unique blend of digital processes to create canvases that are subsequently layered with acrylic paint. With his characteristic use of flattened planes and bold colour, the artist creates what he refers to as a “neo” visual style that is “modern, bright, expressive and provocative.”

Derrick Ofosu Boateng is a photographer born and based in Accra, Ghana. Driven by a desire to create works which showcase the vitality, joy and exuberance of the local people, Boateng captures stills of everyday life in Ghana and distorts the backgrounds with arresting color palettes, showing his hometown in a new light.

Jumoke Sanwo is a Nigerian lens-based artist working in the medium of photography, in conjunction with text, video art and virtual reality. Sanwo’s work often addresses concerns around African aesthetics as well notions of the self and identity, thereby fostering new narratives in the decolonization discourse.

Williams Chechet is a pop artist, graphic designer, illustrator and muralist who was raised in Kaduna in northern Nigeria and currently lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria. Chechet is interested in images that circulate in popular culture, focusing on symbols of Nigerian society through a pop art lens. In his recent projects, Chechet explores the faces and characters of northern Nigeria as well as the leaders, icons and images that have shaped Nigeria’s political history.

Details

Title: Seeing Sounds

Dates: 1-7 October 2019

Opening Reception: 1 October 2019, 7pm-10pm

Previews (by appointment): 1 October 2019, 10am-7pm

Address: Copeland Gallery, Copeland Park, 133, Copeland Road, London SE15 3SN Opening Times: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: 10am – 10pm; Wednesday, Friday, Sunday: 10am – 8pm; Monday 7 October: 10am – 2pm.

Admission: Free Opening; £7 for Private Evening Events on Thursday and Saturday; £12 for an Unlimited House Ticket

Nearest Station: Peckham Rye Overground Station

Tickets and Event Schedule: Eventbrite registration link

About HAART

HAART was founded in 2018 by British-Nigerian lawyer Maryam Lawal, who has had a lifelong passion for the arts with a particular focus on artwork from the African continent. Primarily inspired by the burgeoning art scene in Lagos, Nigeria, Lawal aims to give artists from the continent and the diaspora a platform for their work, providing them with greater support and wider recognition. HAART allows collectors to purchase works from early to mid-career artists and currently works with artists originating from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast.