As we continue to peruse around the Los Angeles area with all the shows and fairs about to pop-up, we loved what we saw from Danny First s ongoing res.
All images courtesy of Annan Affotey and Danny First, shared with permission
Annan Affotey has an affinity for bold, bright colors that set his subjects apart from the negative space framing their figures. Through gestural strokes that sweep across the canvas, the Ghanaian artist renders intimate portraits of his friends, family members, and the occasional public figure who, through distinctly red eyes, look directly at the viewer, a decision that’s both aesthetic and cultural.
“When I moved to the U.S. from Ghana, I was often questioned why my eyes were red and whether it meant I hadn’t slept or was doing drugs, neither of which was true. And it became a symbol for misinterpreted identities,” he says. That experience was complicated further by cultural expectations, which Affotey explains to Colossal:
We ve been enjoying all these compact, intimate presentations that La Brea Artist Residency has been putting together at The Cabin in LA, so we couldn.