By Nii B. Andrews.
The paintings of Larry Otoo have always exuded a joyous and festive air with bursts of color in the abstract expressionist genre.
Often times there are elongated bodies – harking back to the sculptural idiom of the pioneering Ghanaian modernists; vivid blues, yellow and reds are featured as is often seen in Africa’s cosmopolitan cities; suave figural poses abound; he telegraphs intellectual sophistication and nuance; all of which are anchored in compositions that are finely tuned with tension over tepid harmony and balance.
Oil and acrylic applied with lush brushstrokes and the palette knife on canvas have been his chosen medium, but Otoo’s ingenious technique transcends two dimensional representation; on occasion he even hits a cinematic groove.
In the process, over the last four decades, he has gained a solid reputation both at home and on the international circuit as a top shelf contemporary artist – a master of his craft with a sterling visual language, aesthetic and voice.
His latest solo exhibition is scheduled for the Artists Alliance Gallery in Accra; it will open on Friday, November 25 2022 at 6pm and run until December 26 2022.
Entitled FACADES, it is curated by Sela Kojo Adjei and Asana Greenstreet.
There will be close to seventy works on display.
The exhibition catalog contains incisive analytical essays on Otoo’s work especially his perspective on contemporary life in Ghana – specifically Accra, where he has been based throughout most of his professional life.
