
Cornelius Annor Ghana, b. 1990
A Mother's Comfort, 2022
acrylic, fabric and fabric transfer on canvas
151 x 212 cm
59 1/2 x 83 1/2 in
59 1/2 x 83 1/2 in
Incorporating objects and clothes from different periods of time, Ghanaian artist Cornelius Annor plays with history and temporality in his compositions. His paintings can be seen as a hypothetical writing...
Incorporating objects and clothes from different periods of time, Ghanaian artist Cornelius Annor plays with history and temporality in his compositions. His paintings can be seen as a hypothetical writing of history, merging elements from both his family and friends’ archive, from the past and present. While some of the photographic source materials were taken during family events, others refer to the West-African tradition of taking seated portraits at a photo studio. The studio setting in this context was created to evoke a certain middle-class status, reminiscent of photographs by renowned Nigerian photographer Samuel Fosso and the Malian photographer Malick Sidibé. While there are noticeable aesthetic similarities, Annor adds a touch of his personal universe, adding in hi-fi equipment, miscellaneous home objects, elaborate wallpapers, vintage sofas, and other pieces of decor throughout. Inspired by the British/Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare’s work which utilises traditional wax fabrics, the textiles and their motifs found in Annor's paintings refer both to his West African heritage and personal archive, adding a more intimate overtone. His unique fabric transfer method—in which it is imposed on the canvas for several hours—leaves a faded effect, a visual metaphor for the absence of context from the photographs he uses.