Deadly Prey meets China Heights in an exhibition showcasing over 30 hand-painted movie posters from Ghana, West Africa. The paintings on display cover a mix of cinema genres like horror, action, martial arts, Hindi film and native West African (Ghallywood & Nollywood) features from the late 90’s to present day commissioned work. Fourteen different artists will be on display, including Mr. Brew, Leonardo, Stoger, Salvation, Heavy J, Mr. Gbetty Shettey, Magasco, Farkira, Papa Warsti, DA Armahsco, Classic Arts, Casper, Adomako and M. Yawson.
Deadly Prey Gallery was founded by Brian Chankin in Chicago, in partnership with Robert Kofi Ghartey in Accra, Ghana. Their goal is to preserve, archive and educate people about these amazing paintings from Ghana. They support the current artists in Ghana still working in the genre today through buying and selling their paintings and offering commission opportunities to our customers. Kofi has known many of the artists for over 20 years. Their partnership in working with the artists directly is over 8 years old, and today they work with 9 great artists from Ghana’s former mobile cinema.
A brief history on the Handpainted Ghanaian Movie Poster:
These wild posters were once the product of a much larger industry known as the 'Ghanaian Mobile Cinema'. This business started in the late 1980’s when artistic, industrious groups of people formed video clubs. With a television, vcr, vhs tapes, and a portable generator they’d travel throughout Ghana setting up make-shift screening areas in villages void of electricity. An interesting selection of movies became popular because of this trade including Hollywood action and horror, low budget American schlock, Bollywood films, Hong Kong martial arts movies, and native Ghanaian and Nigerian features.
As more people gained interest in this rising business, competition arose. Mobile cinema operators found a need to set their products apart, so an advertising motif came into play. With no affordable access to printing, the hand-painted movie poster was the most logical advertising vehicle. Skilled local artists were now part of this growing entertainment industry in Ghana, and they surely brought their own distinct touch to each film they were called upon to promote. By sewing together used flour sacks, a perfect sized canvas for a movie poster was created. The ruggedness of these posters is immediately noticed as is the large size, each usually measuring over 150cm x 100cm. Though a specific poster might only be 10-20 years old, it’s appearance will far surpass it’s actual age due to the elemental toll one takes from constant transit, being rolled, folded, left in the sun, rain, etc.
Today access to printing is far less expensive and movies have become more accessible to the general public in Ghana. The mobile cinema has all but passed away, but these hand-painted movie posters remain a wonderful, tangible product of the time. Many of the same artists from Ghana's former mobile cinema continue to paint movie posters exclusively with Deadly Prey Gallery to a growing Western audience today.