Overview

Two Brothers in Teal, 2020

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I want the viewer to feel that we are one, no matter whether black or white we are all human beings who are connected and anything is possible when we are together and fight together.

In capturing the layered essence of the black bodies in my work, I seek to capture a sense of balance and conflict within a single entity captured as a demi-god. I have always looked to push the boundaries of representation and I believe it is important to celebrate the complexity of existence that black people turn to internalize.

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Biography

For me capturing black bodies in the abstract form sort of skews towards an idea of the supernatural - almost like superheroes and super heroines (some I know and some I do not). Though our bodies are usually politicized, I seek to further practice reclaiming our narrative like many great artists before me by capturing black bodies in a potent reverence.

A graduate in Visual Arts and Textiles at the Ghanatta Institute of Art and Design , Emmanuel Taku studied with well-known figurative painters Amoako Boafo and Otis Quaicoe , and has been practicing different forms of portraiture for more than ten years. His subjects are often clothed in striking floral prints, which he prints on the canvas using a distinct silk screen method. Born in 1986, Taku’s works incorporate a variety of materials, as he applies textiles and newspapers onto canvas, fiberglass, fiber net, mesh, or plywood .

Reminiscent of Malick Sidibé, the artist combines his focus on...

A graduate in Visual Arts and Textiles at the Ghanatta Institute of Art and Design, Emmanuel Taku studied with well-known figurative painters Amoako Boafo and Otis Quaicoe, and has been practicing different forms of portraiture for more than ten years. His subjects are often clothed in striking floral prints, which he prints on the canvas using a distinct silk screen method. Born in 1986, Taku’s works incorporate a variety of materials, as he applies textiles and newspapers onto canvas, fiberglass, fiber net, mesh, or plywood.

Reminiscent of Malick Sidibé, the artist combines his focus on portraiture with a longstanding passion for textiles and patterns, passed on to him through his mother. Taku’s paintings depict black people striking a pose, as if challenging the viewer to take a closer look. For the artist, adding layers of abstraction to his portraits is a way to reclaim dominant narratives about black bodies and to reject their objectification. With their supernatural appearance, Taku lends his subjects the status of demi-gods or mythical heroes. His practice thereby positions black people as worthy of awe and reverence, constituting an important voice in the recent rise of black portraiture in contemporary art.

Entitled The Chosen Few, Taku’s first solo exhibition with MARUANI MERCIER and the first presentation of his work outside of Ghana, focused on his newest series of paintings It Takes Two. Hung like flags from plywood beams, each work depicts a pair: two people intimately intertwined and mirroring one another. The artist says: “the importance of capturing two figures in juxtaposition was to create a sense of consolidation, synergy and unity. This is emphasized through the anthropomorphic silhouettes created by the bodies engulfed in silkscreened fabric print “. With cultural signifiers stemming from distinct historical periods and parts of the world, the artist has created a vibrant, timeless body of work.

Exhibitions