La Foundation for the Arts Launches YOUNG ARTISTS SERIES with a Solo Exhibition by Jude Lartey
On Friday, August 2nd, 2024, La Foundation for the Arts, proudly launched their YOUNG ARTISTS SERIES, designed and initiated by their current director Chantel Akworkor Thompson. The series, which awards a promising Ghanaian artist, 25 years or under, their debut solo exhibition, was marked by the opening of Land of The Morees by image-maker Jude Mensah Lartey.
The initiative came about as a way to provide a launching pad for exceptional talents in Ghana, who often feel forced to seek opportunities abroad due to a perceived lack of support and infrastructure. Speaking on the initiative, Executive Director Chantel Akworkor Thompson further explained:
The premise of this initiative is to demonstrate to everyone the benefits of artists showcasing their creative practice at home, where it was first conceived and where it will best resonate with the audiences. Whilst we understand that at present, the opportunities abroad for artists are more lucrative, we are also aware of how damaging some of those experiences can be for artists. Furthermore, if we continue as a country to ignore the talent we have and allow them to flee for ‘greener pastures’ we lose hope of reaching our full potential. The idea of a brain drain will quickly become a reality if there are not more solution-driven initiatives that create the infrastructure and support necessary to stop the high levels of artistic and creative extraction that we are witnessing.
-Chantel Akworkor Thompson
Exhibiting an ongoing photo documentary project which began in 2022, Jude Mensah Lartey became the first recipient of the YOUNG ARTIST SERIES. At the tender age of 24, he is one of many creatives throughout Ghana who have contributed their voice to the growing canon of contemporary photography produced in Ghana, which seems to be leading the charge on what some have called an ‘African Renaissance’. And it is also the case that Some of the images from The Land of Morees have already been profiled in publications such as NOWNESS, Vogue Photo, Blanc Magazine | New York NY and gained him recognition by Lens Culture, being named a finalist of their Portrait of the Year Award in 2024.
At the opening of Land of the Morees, which is a striking collection of 11 stunning, cinematic images that straddle the spontaneous and the curated, a large fishing canoe was installed in the supermarket turned gallery space in South La, Accra. Crowds of Ghana’s creative art scene came through to celebrate with Jude and view the body of work, curated by Thompson. Playing the perfect soundscape of classic Fantse sea shanties fused with Afro-inspired contemporary Jazz, international DJ Muud Swingz set the mood for this experiential exhibition, which transformed the 200 strong crowd to Moree, a coastal fisherman town. Through the photos displayed Lartey and Thompson welcomed the audience to a profound exploration of the lives of the people in the coastal town of Moree, which captured through Lartey’s lens we’re gifted a remarkable blend of respect, dignity, and humanity, far removed from stereotypical and exploitative representations.
The exhibition is accompanied by a critical essay by acclaimed author Nii Ayikwei Parkes, who highlights how Lartey’s photographs radiate an interior, autonomous life, offering viewers an intimate glimpse into the true essence of the town’s residents, stating that:
Each photograph in the exhibition tells a unique story. From the fisherman glowing with interior completeness” to the kids immersed in play, and the washerman balancing basins with effortless grace, Lartey’s work captures moments of everyday life that are both extraordinary and profoundly human. As Parkes notes, “what Lartey gives us is different… this is their light, their water, their legacy, their nets, their blue, their glow, their world – Land of The Morees.
-Nii Ayikwei Parkes
He goes on to conclude that:
‘This exhibition marks the beginning of a promising career for Jude Lartey. His keen eye and deep relationship with light are evident in every photograph, showcasing a respect for history and humanity that resonates deeply..His photographs are a testament to the dignity and joy of the people of Moree, offering a poignant reminder of our shared humanity.’
-Nii Ayikwei Parkes
The exhibition will run from Thursday August 1st, 2024 – Thursday 12th September at La Foundation’s exhibition space, located beneath Suncity Apartments, 144 La Road, Accra, Ghana.
Land of the Morees has been generously supported by Spectrum Photo, an imaging lab in The UK, who have printed the photos for the exhibition. In addition to this Mixam, a leading online printing platform, have donated the printing of 50 catalogues. Those feature a critical essay by Nii Ayikwei Parkes, an introduction by Nana Owiredu Apreko I, Dabieben of Asebu, and a Q & A between curator Chantel Akworkor Thompson and Image-Maker and Young Artist recipient Jude Lartey. 20 copies will be donated to art institutions across Africa.
About La Foundation For The Arts
Founded by Safoa Aïsha Cablye-Gaisie, La Foundation For The Arts (LAFA) is a non-profit service organisation with an unwavering commitment to advancing, realizing, and preserving the vision of emerging and unrecognised art workers and administrators in Ghana through meaningful relationships with the wider African diaspora.
LAFA’s primary objective is to create new, sustainable opportunities and to empower individual artists by providing critical support, professional development tools, and resources for defining and achieving career success.
About The Artist
Jude Lartey is a self taught Ghanaian image-maker known for his cinematic scenes which are illustrations of the new identities of his generation’s; dreams, fashions and evolutions. Both his fashion -rooted and documentary style photography capture the authenticity of the people he meets and the environments in which he encounters them. By placing importance on accurately presenting unique cultures he is able intertwine everyday storytelling into his cinematic snapshots. Key themes explored within his work include new age masculinity in Africa. And Lartey is keen on using his lens to shape the perspective of masculinity. Lartey’s has worked with magazines, brands and publications in the likes of GQ, Vogue, Dazed, Adidas, Burberry, Levi’s, Converse, The Guardian, NPR, etc. He is young mirror to an era and culture.
About The Curator
London-born Chantel Akworkor Attakakra Thompson is an independent cultural curator and educator based in Ghana. As the Executive Director of La Foundation for the Arts, she is committed to advancing, realizing, and preserving the vision of emerging and unrecognized art workers and administrators in Ghana through meaningful relationships with the wider African diaspora.
As a curator she has curated exhibitions in Accra, New York, London and Paris, working predominantly with African artists, including Amoako Boafo, Adjei Tawiah & Aplerh-Doku Borlabi, and contributed her voice to art catalogues and publications including, “Boom Saloon”: a Publication on Bold Mission to Democratise Creativity for Good and “Sounds of Blackness ”(curated by Larry Ossei-Mensah) for The Met Museum Manilla.
In 2022 she wrote and designed an art-based curriculum for The World Reimagined (The UK’s largest National art project for racial justice), which has been used in over 250 schools.
She prides herself in being a social justice advocate who believes that everybody should have an equal opportunity to live, learn and love in a nurturing environment that supports their growth. Fueled by a wealth of rich experiences garnered from years of travel to far flung places, living amongst unique societies, she curates enriching experiences using art as a portal to undiscovered ideas, demonstrating the possibilities of cross-cultural exchange.
She recently received a scholarship to study an MA in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute under the Cultural Leaders program initiated by Culture&.