Emmanuel Taku
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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Emmanuel TakuAmethyst Sister’s Keeper, 2021acrylic on canvas200 x 200 cm
78 3/4 x 78 3/4 in -
Emmanuel TakuBeige Clergy Brothers, 2021acrylic on canvas200 x 190 cm
78 3/4 x 74 3/4 in -
Emmanuel TakuFour Brothers in White, 2021acrylic on canvas200.5 x 235.5 cm
79 x 92 3/4 in -
Emmanuel TakuGo-Go Sisters In Red, 2021acrylic on canvas200 x 314 cm
78 3/4 x 123 5/8 in -
Emmanuel TakuLilac Sisters In Veil, 2021acrylic on canvas136 x 95 cm
53 1/2 x 37 3/8 in -
Emmanuel TakuOrange Sister’s Keeper, 2021acrylic on canvas200 x 127 cm
78 3/4 x 50 in -
Emmanuel TakuSisters In Green Of Sacred Heart, 2021acrylic on canvas200 x 200 cm
78 3/4 x 78 3/4 in -
Emmanuel TakuTeal Sister’s Keeper, 2021acrylic on canvas138 x 200 cm
54 3/8 x 78 3/4 in -
Emmanuel TakuThe Three Nuns, 2021acrylic on canvas140 x 108 cm
55 1/8 x 42 1/2 in -
Emmanuel TakuTwo Brothers in Teal, 2021acrylic on canvas84 1/2 x 57 1/4 in
214.5 x 145.5 cm -
Emmanuel TakuWrestling Brothers In Pink, 2021acrylic on canvas200 x 200 cm
78 3/4 x 78 3/4 in -
Emmanuel TakuYellow Sister’s Keeper, 2021acrylic on canvas127 x 200 cm
50 x 78 3/4 in
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.
MARUANI MERCIER is pleased to announce worldwide representation of Ghanaian artist Emmanuel Taku (b. 1986). Taku’s first solo exhibition with the gallery will take place in MARUANI MERCIER’s Knokke space from 3 rd April to 15 th May 2021, where he will present new works made during his recent residency at Noldor in Accra, Ghana.
A graduate in Visual Arts and Textiles of 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...