Mr Black: Sealed Documents

Mr Black

The art exhibition, 'Sealed Documents' was on from 01 April - 11 April 2008 at the Goethe-Institut, Accra.

The opening ceremony for the exhibition took place on April 1st at 7.30 PM, with a performance of spoken word poetry by Mr Black and Nii Lantey. The exhibition was opened by Mrs Jana Orlowski, Deputy Head of Mission, German Embassy, Accra.

Martin Egblewogbe shares his impressions of the event.

Mr Black in Flight
The opening ceremony featured one of the most stunning poetry performances that I have witnessed in recent times. Against the surreal setting of a black-draped coffin bearing the words "Refuse Box" and "Bola Konko" in the foreground and a drum & percussion set in the background, the words of the poet rang out, sometimes shrill, but always insistent, touching on the inevitability of death. The words of the poet were accentuated by the drummers and percussionists to give a compelling aural effect.

Holding his audience spellbound, the unseen poet continued to thunder on, at one point playfully posing the question, 'What are you looking at?' The audience was in fact, staring intently at a coffin and drum set.

When the first performance ended, another well known face in the spoken word community, Nii Lantey (pictured below, left) appeared with a powerful piece rendered both in Ga and English.

At the end of this performance, Mr Black rose from the coffin and proceeded to deliver a speech - only it was a silent speech.

This act is one facet of Mr Black's 'State of the Nation Address', and it was to me one of the most majestic acts in the entire performance. The surreal nature of the show was sealed with the tall black man clad entirely in black, wearing large sunglasses and a skull cap, standing at the podium and for several minutes, saying nothing.

Finally, after sipping from a glass of water, Mr Black left the stage to great applause.

Paintings
The exhibition is currently on-going. The paintings on display straddle a change in the style of Mr Black's work: there are a few pieces reminiscent of his use of flowing shapes and strongly emphasised colours, but there is also a new style that I am yet to come to terms with. I really liked the painting, 'Sealed Documents VIII', which was of the 'new' flavour.

The exhibition continues until the 11th of April, 2008.

The Goethe-Institut is the German Cultural Centre in Accra. It is located on Kakramadu Road, nest to the National Film and Television Institute, Cantonments, Accra.

Photo credits (From top): (1), (2): Brent Reaney. More Here ; (3) Bernard Akoi Jackson.