Mmaa Mpaninfoo Nhyeamu 2021

Cornelius Annor made Mmaa Mpaninfoo Nhyeamu using paint. The colours are rich but it’s not overworked, it's like he's letting the paint breathe on the canvas. You know, sometimes the best thing you can do is just let things happen. I love how Annor handles the patterns in the women’s dresses, each one distinct, bursting with its own energy. The fabrics are rendered with such care. Look at the woman on the right, her blue dress is just vibrating. The texture almost feels like it’s popping off the canvas. And then there’s the skin, rendered with such dimensionality it is really gorgeous. I think that Annor is someone who understands that art is not about perfection, it's about feeling. This reminds me of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's portraits, there's a similar sense of intimacy and respect for the subject. But where Yiadom-Boakye's figures often exist in a void, Annor places his women in a space, a room filled with details that hint at their lives. Art's an ongoing conversation, isn't it? It's about seeing what others have done and then adding your own voice to the mix.