September 8 – October 15 2022
Opening Reception: September 8, 6–8 PM
Gideon Appah, a Ghanaian artist born in 1987, will have his second solo exhibition at Mitchell-Innes & Nash from September 8 to October 15, 2022. It will contain paintings and drawings that were created in Accra during the last three years, primarily during the duration of worldwide lockdowns and collective upheaval, and will follow his first U.S. museum solo show at ICA VCU.
Appah switches from his usual cooler tones and chooses a warmer palette of desaturated color in this new body of work, much of which debuted in his most recent museum exhibition, in order to render emotionally impactful compositions. He selects both melancholy and uplifting scenes that detail the complexity of the human condition and the natural world. There are dark clouds, bedridden people, and drowning women, but the artist also captures a deep bravery in a number of images of magnificent horses in various rest and motion stages.
A number of imaginative charcoal drawings that have a surrealist tone and portray still life and outdoor landscapes are also on display. These works on paper isolate the line and emphasize Appah’s skilled drafting, evoking the same sense of mystery and spirituality as the paintings. His aggressive and direct mark-making contrasts nicely with the sensitivity of the paintings in this piece.
Early in his career, Appah was praised for his compositional variety, which has made him one of the most innovative and captivating painters currently working in Ghana. He places the current within the history while giving mythology and myth a stage, drawing elements from Ghanaian movies to post-independent architecture. His trademark thick, sloppy paint applications give rise to abstractions and figurations that employ color and scale to elicit significant cues of emotional and visual hierarchy.
About Gideon Appah
Appah, who was born in Ghana in 1987, resides and works in Accra. Forgotten, Nudes, Landscapes, his most recent solo exhibition, debuted in 2022 at Richmond, Virginia’s Institute for Contemporary Art. The Triennale di Milano in Milan, Casa Barragan in Mexico City, Ghana Science Museum in Accra, Goethe Institute in Accra, KNUST Museum in Kumasi, and Nubuke Foundation in Accra are just a few of the places where his paintings have been shown abroad. His works are held in private collections as well as those of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden in Marrakesh, and the Absa Museum in Johannesburg. He was a finalist for the 2022 Henrike Grohs Art Award and the 2016 Kuenyehia Art Prize.
About Mitchell-Innes & Nash
Mitchell-Innes & Nash, which was founded by Lucy Mitchell-Innes and David Nash, who previously oversaw Sotheby’s international Contemporary and Impressionist & Modern Art divisions, situates outstanding contemporary artists in a historical context, illuminating a continuity of ideas and aesthetic virtuosity from the Modern era to the present. In addition, Lucy Mitchell-Innes, a former leader of the Art Dealers Association of America, serves on the Art Basel selection committee. The renowned exhibition program at Mitchell-Innes & Nash encourages excellence in artistic practice while fostering intelligent discussion between up-and-coming and known artists from throughout the world. From acclaimed surveys of 20th century masters, such as Jean Arp, Anthony Caro, Jay DeFeo, Willem de Kooning, Leon Kossoff, Kenneth Noland, Roy Lichtenstein, and Nicolas de Stael, to solo exhibitions of Sarah Braman, Keltie Ferris, Daniel Lefcourt, Eddie Martinez, Pope.L, Martha Rosler, and Jessica Stockholder, Mitchell-Innes & Nash has proven expertise in both advancing the careers of emerging artists and maintaining the superior standard set by established artists.
Mitchell-Innes & Nash
534 W 26th Street, New York NY 10001
Tel 212-744-7400 Fax 212-744-7401
