Osei Yaw presents his installations

I am a fan of poetry and I  like the visual arts, so when the two are mixed through a fascinating installation, it no doubt, creates an atmosphere that is emotionally intense.

The feeling was one of uncertainty of what to expect as I moved into the premises of Afrocentric, a cultural centre that was recently opened at Bubuashie, a suburb of Accra.

Inside Afrocentric, which is characterised by all kinds of recycled items, I found three installations created by DK Osei Yaw, one of Ghana’s dramatic young poets,  in a small room and a long corridor.

Titled “African Image- Baasa Kro”, items contained in the installation at first glance appear to have been randomly selected but a close look at clothes, ropes, underwear, broken mirrors, pieces of card boxes randomly sowed together, slippers, bicycles and ladders revealed an intelligent vocabulary.

Osei Yaw’s installations are memorable,  indeed, a kind of cumulative manuscript that documents the evolution of African cultural uniqueness in a globalised setting alongside hints of history.

With a succinct lyrical undertone,“African Image– Baasa Kro” underpins the origins of Africans (diasporas inclusive) in order to appreciate and understand the elements that shape their cultural identity in a modern world.

Jointly and severally, all three art works manage to touch on all kinds of moods ranging from expressive to frenzy.

The exhibition, which ends tomorrow,  June 30, is being sponsored by Goethe-Institute Ghana with additional support from Alliance Française, Afrocentric, Cuppacappuccino and the Foundation for Contemporary Art.

By John Owoo