The Belvedere Museum in Vienna is hosting Europe’s first museum exhibition on the art of Amoako Boafo, titled Proper Love. This exhibition, curated by Curated by Sergey Harutoonian, marks a significant moment in the artist’s biography, following his journey from graduating art college in Accra to studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 2014, years that profoundly shaped his development and led to his signature finger-painting technique.
As a leading voice in a new generation of Black artists, Boafo portrays friends, acquaintances, and public figures to convey a contemporary image of Black self-empowerment and identity. His subjects embody the idea of Black identity that draws on its own culture, to be understood as an act of resistance against the racist labels of a predominantly white society. This form of Black subjectivity is expressed in the appearance of the sitters, who confront the viewer as self-confident individuals and often seek direct eye contact.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a bilingual catalogue (German/English) with contributions by Ekow Eshun, Sergey Harutoonian, Mahret Ifeoma Kupka, Stella Rollig, Taiye Selasi and Vasilena Stoyanova.
Exhibition dates: -
October 26, 2024
