Human Race, by Sami Bentil. Photograph courtesy of La Galleria
I left Atlanta last week with a tornado watch looming over my home city. I arrived seven hours later in London to land into a different storm - the first major exhibition in London of Ghanaian Contemporary art. Is this deja vu? Twenty-five years ago, I had the idea of blitzing through London oozing Ghanaian art, and showing the world what Ghanaian artists could create. Now in 2007, I am here with my co-conspirators - celebrating 50 years of Ghanaian independence and positive creativity.
People ask me how I can paint - I'm colour blind. Surely sensitivity to colour is essential to art, people say, staring at me. All I can say is that I know that what is seen as a handicap has allowed me to develop and evolve a style and expression unique to me. I suppose it is like a blind man with a stick. I learnt to feel the colours instead of seeing them. I almost find it hard to talk about. Mine is the doing, not the seeing or knowing. I know what you see as blue inspires me. I know when I mix a blue or red, it will be called purple, but I don't know, and in some ways I don't care. I just do what I what I like and go with the feel of it.
Meanwhile, independently of my eyes and what they see, the world has begun to see African contemporary art in a completely different during the last 20 years, and in some ways it is almost impossible to give it the label "African". Art is art, whether from Atlanta, Accra or Aberdeen. We need to be judged on the quality and creativity of our work, and that includes our cultural heritage. And yet, in the same breath, I can only say that if we Ghanaians do not celebrate and show our art on international stages, no one else will.
So that is why we called our show "The Call". We are beating the drum and calling people to come and see our work. And for me, Ghana's flavour is its dynamic, majestic splendour. Rich, colourful and proud, and yet deeply thoughtful. The drumbeat of our art has started and I know Londoners will hear it. It is a new era, and I am proud to be part of it.
• The Call is at La Galleria, Pall Mall, Sept 24 to Oct 1
