Married But Available exhibition opens in Accra
The recent use of digital technology by barbering and hair dressing salons in Ghana for advertising purposes has definitely impacted on the visual landscape of the country as more trendy salons spring up on a regular basis.
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Indeed, the result of an artistic and visual investigation into these signs by Dr Joseph Oduro-Frimpong, a lecturer at the Department of Arts and Sciences, Ashesi University at Berekuso in the Eastern Region, is on display at the Alliance Française in Accra.
The exhibition, which is dubbed Married But Available and is being sponsored by the Alliance Française in Accra, ends on Wednesday, September 2, 2015.
The over-dramatised signs, which comprise text in both English and local languages, appear to deal with a variety of issues relating to Ghana and Africa through discursive, provocative and eye-catching representations.
These include Dumsor Spoil My Fridge Klean Kuts, Say No to Brazilian Hair Grooming Palace, Suro Nipa, The Young Shall Grow Beauty Klink, Dzi Wu Fie Asem, Eye Asem Ooo, Married But Available (MBA) Unisex Salon and Paddle Your Own Canoe.
A striking feature about these signs is the conspicuous use of light- skinned models. In a country with about 99 per cent of its population as dark-skinned. The use of light-skinned models is quite strange and should spark some research by art critics.
Nevertheless, the signs are colourful and easily attractive to the eyes. They are equally laced with comical material as well as grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
However, a combination of these factors appear to add to the fun, thereby grabbing and sustaining the attention of the viewer.
An issue that easily crops up with this domain of art is how to appropriately term it. Though some people see it as contemporary African art, others prefer to describe it as ‘folk art’, ‘street art’, ‘naïve art’ and ‘wayside art’.