Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe is a Ghanaian-born, Portland-based artist who creates figurative paintings that are packed with symbolism. Rooted in both contemporary culture as they are to his native country, Quaicoe spotlights the resilience, power and inner strength within each of his subjects.
The artist recently concluded his first European solo exhibition, “BLACK RODEO: Cowboys of the 21st Century,” at Almine Rech Brussels from March 10 to April 22. To follow, the gallery has published a sumptuous book that catalogs the show.
Larry Ossei-Mensah, curator and co-founder of ARTNOIR, said Quaicoe’s latest exhibition was the “result of rigorous cultural investigation and the continued experimentation with figurative forms accented with bold colors and rich texture that has become the signature of Quaicoe’s artistic practice.”
As indicated in the title, the show was inspired by the artist’s affinity for cinema, in particular “Spaghetti Westerns”, where “Quaicoe wanted to unearth the erased stories of Black American cowboys,” Ossei-Mensah added.
The book is 168 pages in length, limited to an edition of 800 and available to purchase for $32 USD. The publication will also be available as a special edition book, with the print Jon Gray, limited to 50 signed and numbered copies.
Elsewhere in art, FRANCHISE will open an art gallery in Los Angeles’ Chinatown.
