Well, well, well. Look who's here again! It's your friendly neighborhood art writer. I took a bit longer to finish this article because trying to write about the “Painting with my eyes closed” exhibition by Youssef Raouchi at the Ada Contemporary gallery in Accra turned into a staring contest with a blank page. But I finally won, and you'll see why it was worth the struggle once you're done reading this.
As soon as I learned about the "Painting With My Eyes Closed" exhibition, I made plans with a friend to see it together. The gallery was painted in a stunning shade of blue, and honestly, It was a refreshing departure from the standard white walls of most galleries. The blue color brought an exciting energy to the room and the paintings. It wasn’t too bright or distracting, just enough to keep your senses engaged, it was just right.
The first painting I saw had me feeling a little puzzled. I had already decided to write about this exhibition, so I was looking out for anything I could use as inspiration. I hadn't read anything about the artist or her paintings though, because I felt reading other opinions could taint your perspective. I prefer to draw my own conclusions, you know? But I digress. As I stared at the painting, I thought to myself, "hmm, this is really different." Then, I turned to the left and looked again at the title of the exhibition: "Painting With My Eyes Closed." And suddenly, everything made sense.
Initially, the painting seemed pretty chaotic, with a mix of random subjects that looked like they were drawn by a child with a box of crayons. However, the longer I looked at it, the more it felt nostalgic. This painting was like a time machine, transporting me back to the days when life was all about pretty colors and drawings. It felt like a warm, fuzzy memory from childhood, like something I’d drawn before or seen in a children's book. It's amazing how art can have such an incredible power to take us to another time and place, and this painting did just that. Suddenly, I was seven again, and my only worry in life was my homework. But let's be real, I'm a super serious student and probably already finished it (don't hate, appreciate). It was such a lovely feeling to revisit that time and appreciate the moment once again. Thank you, Youssra, for that little trip down memory lane.
The next set of paintings however, were rather dark and spooky. From headless men to women in contorted positions, they all had a theme of confusion and disorientation. It was hard to understand what the artist was thinking when they created this series. Just when I thought I understood one painting, the next one was completely different. My friend loved those paintings though, and that made me realize that these eerie works did in fact have an intended audience. Even though I didn't fully appreciate that style, it was fascinating to see how subjective art can be.
The painting that stole my heart had a vibrant red background, which brought balance and order to the chaos. As a nature lover, I was immediately drawn to a smaller image in the painting that looked like a photograph of a serene blue sky and lush greenery by a perfect little pond. It was like a little oasis on the wall, and I was ready to pitch a tent and move in. The painting was definitely neater than the others, with straight edges and clean finish lines. I stared at it for an inordinate amount of time, but when you find something that speaks to your soul, you just have to bask in its glory, right?
As I was admiring the clean and calm painting, I couldn't help but think that the artist deliberately made the others messy. It's like she's saying, "I could be perfect, but where's the fun in that?" I feel like that’s what makes art so special. It's a space where you can be as wild, unconventional, or messy as you want to be, and still find people who resonate to it. It's like a free pass to be as crazy as you want, without having to explain yourself to anyone. Life should be more like art, don't you think? We should all be free to express ourselves without fear of judgment or ridicule. Whether you're into bright red paintings or eerie contorted figures, there's always someone out there who shares your passion.
So, after struggling to come up with something for my article on this particular show, I ran into Youssra Raouchi, the artist, at another exhibition. She told me that the Ada Gallery website had an article up about her style of work and the series that I had seen earlier. I immediately checked it out because, let's be real, I was in desperate need of some serious help. The write up mentioned that her style was based on a philosophy called rhizome. I had no idea what that meant, so I did some digging. Turns out Rhizome is a philosophy created by French theorists Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. It's a way of thinking about things that involves a network of different ideas that can grow in different directions, rather than following a straight line.
Everything suddenly clicked! The paintings weren't related to each other in any way and seemed incoherent because they were meant to be that way. That's why I was having such a hard time coming up with a common concept to describe the different types of paintings that were on display. Youssra, you totally over delivered on the assignment! The intense chaos in some of the paintings and the rather aesthetic and calming vibe the other ones exuded showed how freely flowing and non-conforming this particular body of work is. I found it really inspiring, because life is indeed very much like that. It's a mixture of varying feelings at any given point in time, and the artist being able to evoke those reactions & take us on that journey of sensations is truly impressive.
I absolutely loved the whole experience and the wild ride of emotions it took me through. If you’re trying to find some colorful adventure in your life, then you have until the 6th of August, to see the painting with my eyes closed exhibition at the ADA gallery in the villagio apartments building. I’d really love to hear what you think about it. You can find me on Instagram on @azareeart, where I post updates on current and upcoming exhibitions, photos from the shows & every artsy thing in between!