Emmanuel Boahene is a 22-year-old artist working in the fields of painting and sewing. His artworks generally spawn from thoughts and emotions, as he uses real life places and objects to express a feeling or a theory. A lot of the images in his works are derived from the live action sketches he makes in a notebook when going about his day.
It is from these drawings that much of Simian Society was created, a series formulated from memory and imagination. Primate Portraits, on the other hand, was the artists interpretation of online images as he tries to express the emotive, human-like qualities seen in these animals.
As an artist who is always asking why things are the way they are, he attempts to visually describe messages that cannot be translated into word.
Simian Society
These conceptual singerie paintings are a rendition of recent thoughts Emmanuel Boahene had about the current state of the world. The effects of isolation and a worldwide pandemic have initiated a global shift in consciousness that cannot be reversed. More and more people are beginning to think for themselves, to question the truths that we've been spoon-fed and to realise the often disturbing way our society currently works.
From climate change to mental health and gender equality, it is our responsibility to reflect on the way we go about our everyday lives and to continue the conversation around how we can make our planet a better place to live.
We are members of arguably the most successful species on this planet, but we are still not quite advanced enough to cope with the world we have created for ourselves. Humans built this world, only the evolved can save it.
Primate Portraits
As beings blessed with the ability to be conscious of our own existence, we like to think of ourselves as superior and all knowing, often overlooking the simple scientific truth that we come from an incomprehensibly long line of mutating molecules.
There are many aspects of our nature and anatomy that can also be seen in primates. Humans share 97% of their genetic makeup with Chimpanzees. Not only do we share opposable thumbs but also behaviour patterns, social structures and even primal instincts. Many of our own complex cultures and traditions can be better understood by observing simian species.
In this age of ever-expanding information and technology, it is easy to forget our origins as organisms formed from the land. We are born, live and die in a concrete jungle of our forefathers creation, detached from the mother that truly birthed us.
In order to truly understand who we are and what it means to be human, we must look at the commonalities we have with the lifeforms that we evolved alongside.
'Don't Forget You're an Animal' will be showing in the front gallery from May 3rd – May 17th. Emmanuel will be joining us for two intimate artist talks on Thursday May 6th and Thursday May 13th.
