Lebanese-born British construction entrepreneur and art collector Marwan Zakhem has opened a new gallery in the Ghanaian capital of Accra, Gallery 1957. Under the creative direction of Nana Oforiatta Ayim, the initial curatorial focus of the gallery will be on contemporary Ghanaian art.Zakhem’s private collection of contemporary West African art is displayed throughout the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City. Gallery 1957 will build a permanent collection for the hotel as well as commissioning new site-specific installations for the space.Located within the newly built Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, and named after the year Ghana gained independence, Gallery 1957 opens on March 7 with an installation by Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey titled “My Mother’s Wardrobe.”Zakhem first started collecting contemporary art when he moved to Africa. “The work I encountered in Senegal and Ghana had a real aesthetic power to it whilst reflecting the society of our time,” he said. “I got to know many of the artists working across the region and have been collecting ever since.”According to Zakhem, there is an abundance of talented artists from West Africa who are deserving of increased visibility and are gaining a presence internationally. “But opportunities to reach new audiences at home are limited due to the lack of existing art infrastructure here,” he said.Commenting on “My Mother’s Wardrobe, explained that “according to custom in many parts of Ghana, a person’s wardrobe is locked up for a year after their death then released to relatives, often leaving the person’s offspring with little or nothing of the material memory of that person.“Textiles and materials in Ghana, and other parts of West Africa - each weft, line or mark - are potent carriers of memory, of communication, and the artist weaves into his sculptures subtle traces of loss, remembering, and of rebirth.”To find out more about Gallery 1957 and the launch exhibition, BLOUIN ARTINFO got in touch with Zakhem and asked him a few questions.What was the inspiration and motivation behind the decision to launch Gallery 1957 in Ghana?I founded the gallery to support, complement and highlight the art scene that is already started to grow here. I have been living in West Africa for 15 years and wanted to provide increased opportunities for artists based here so they don’t feel they have to move abroad to pursue careers as artists. Many of the artists the gallery is working with have become increasingly visible in the institutional circuits of museums and biennales; providing a commercial platform in their own country adds to this visibility both at home and abroad.What is your history with art and art collecting?I first started collecting contemporary art when I moved to Africa. I was immediately taken with the aesthetic power of the work I was seeing. I got to know many of the artists working across the region and have been collecting and developing my knowledge ever since. My collection includes works by Ablade Glover, Kofi Agorsor, Hakajaka, Krotteh Teteh and Jimoh Buraimoh as well as other West African artists.What approach will you take with the gallery in terms of the program, focus, and mission?We will have an initial curatorial focus on contemporary Ghanaian art and as the gallery grows, we will also exhibit artists from wider international artistic communities. Alongside exhibitions, we will commission installations and present a programme of performances. We aim to work closely with existing independent organisations in Accra to expand our activities outside the gallery walls into public places. It is important to understand that while the aim is for the Gallery is to be self-sustainable, its main aim is to support and highlight the amazing art scene in the region. The gallery is contributing to the developing scene in the region, supporting artists and collaborating with already existing structures in their home country. Gallery 1957’s Creative Director Nana Oforiatta Ayim is a writer, cultural historian, curator and filmmaker who through her organization ANO has explored ideas of narratives and identity. ANO aims to challenge current historiographies, as well as transform social contexts whilst theorizing about art from Africa within Africa.Gallery 1957 will open with a performance and installation by Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey. What is it about this artist’s work that resonates with you?His work embraces a freedom of self-expression and reflects some of the issues Africa is facing. His work feels very exciting, new and often experimental. He is able to boldly use performance, colour and form in innovative ways.What do you want to achieve with Gallery 1957 and why?We aim to further understanding of the country’s art and artists, foster relationships between Ghanaian artists and international art institutions and promote discourse and new narratives. Accra already has a rich cultural landscape and I have a lot of faith that it will grow into a city with a burgeoning art scene that is unique in its own way; we hope to be a key part of that.You are a highly respected and successful businessman. How has your business experience informed and shaped your art collecting and the establishment of Gallery 1957?Thank you for the complement. The collector in me doesn’t have much to do with the businessman. I only collect pieces that I would like to have showing in my home or office and do not collect art with the expectation that I will benefit from the price appreciating in the future. The establishment of Gallery 1957 is combination of my passion as a collector and supporter of Ghanaian artists and the entrepreneurial side of me that believes there is a need for a commercial gallery.
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