Daydreaming: A Solo Exhibition by Manny Ofori
February 18 – April 1, 2022
The Nancy Willard And Eric Lindbloom Artist-Run Project Space: DOWNSTAIRS GALLERY, Poughkeepsie, NY
Daydreaming – Curatorial Statement
The Nancy Willard And Eric Lindbloom Artist-Run Project Space: DOWNSTAIRS GALLERY presents Daydreaming, a solo exhibition by Manny Ofori, curated by Sasha Louis Bush presents a series of new works by the artist.
Manny Ofori – a Ghanian born, New York-based hybrid artist - works with painting, drawing and sculpture/woodworking to create pictorial images that reflect his experiences in Poughkeepsie. With inventive resourcefulness, his use of found, discarded, and inexpensive materials directly challenges rigid art-making practices. His paintings, drawings and painted reliefs center the lives of his family and friends, while his functional sculptures incorporate European structural designs and West African colors, patterns and motifs.
Across mediums, Manny’s artworks invite viewers to share an intimate experience. A close look reveals rich details – striated geometrical patterns rendered in wood and delicate brushstrokes in overlapping layers of paint, ink and charcoal. Set against an array of vivid backgrounds, and, with many subjects adorned in Kente cloth in traditional Ghanaian red, green, gold, yellow and black, Manny’s use of vibrant colors provides his artworks with an electric energy.
Welcoming you into Daydreaming, Ms. Elizabeth, a reflective, powerful painting named after its sitter, serves as an essential representative of Manny’s thoughtful approach seen throughout his solo exhibition. Chin turned towards her left shoulder, the sitter, Ms. Elizabeth, looks directly at us. With her commanding presence, she occupies two spaces at once: the public, in conversation with us, and the private, still lingering with her thoughts. Perhaps she is returning to us from a daydream? We are on Ms. Elizabeth’s time and must wait for her to speak. Her confident, self-assured posture – a straight back and soft, rounded shoulders – suggests we are guests in her domain. This is a place where she defines her own time. And in this pause, her restrained, mysterious expression, demands our attention and invites us to consider our exchange.
— Sasha Louis Bush
EXHIBITION INSTALLATION VIEWS
