© 2012 Karen Stracener
Ghana, My Africa (2012) Sculpture by Karen Stracener
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Original Artwork
Sculpture,
Wood
- Dimensions Height 50in, Width 26in
- Fit for outdoor? No, This artwork can not be displayed outdoor
- Categories Sculptures under $5,000
This work relates to one of my poems titled “My Africa”. They seek to complement and scrutinize the present day Africa (Sub-Sahara). Both literature and art piece in series are one of the phases of my first major project as an artist. They serve as introductory to this story. The poem mentions the fact that Africa was here and has ever been here before[...]
This work relates to one of my poems titled “My Africa”. They seek to complement and scrutinize the present day Africa (Sub-Sahara). Both literature and art piece in series are one of the phases of my first major project as an artist. They serve as introductory to this story. The poem mentions the fact that Africa was here and has ever been here before I was conceived. It also painted the fact that I had lost my memory of where I came from and how I looked so that she was the first person I saw and who also accepted me. I grew up to know her and to appreciate her beauty. But for how long would my eyes not be opened that I should see her atrocities that I began to question this beauty that I’ve always known.
.
The “art piece” is a relief that hangs on a wall. It was sculpted from a wood locally known as “asamfora”, by reason of its beautiful fair colour, which denotes one of the basic principle of beauty of the Ghanaian, and at large, Africa’s (Sub- Sahara). The work is 50” in length and 26” in breadth. From the on-set, Africa, on the world map, has the most beautiful outline with arguably, one of the friendliest natural environment (if not the best).
The black background represents the mysteries that surround the continent with its dark history. The red, yellow and green within the dark ground are the domineering of all colours on the continent. They are beautiful and identify Africa from the rest of the continents. They have, of course, their own meanings in respect to each country; yet, these meanings run throughout the continent.
Red represents the toil the continent had to go through to reach liberation.
Gold or yellow, (silver on the piece) stands for its ever abundant natural resources.
And,
Green denotes its evergreen vegetation, which supports almost every plant worldwide.
The basket signifies the security Africa enjoys from and within it’s culture.
On the piece, the dark reddish brown colour, is what I used here to represent the continent’s rich diversely dynamic cultural heritage and values.
This piece showcases the unique riches and beauty which the continent has, to project its pride in.
The poem:
MY AFRICA
When I look back into history
Here I am is a mystery
Deeper I get at knowing my previous
Darker my memory it grows
It is a wonder my wandering soul to find
In void of my previous, I became
My first sight to see was beauty amazing
It was beauty beyond beauties
Adorned with beauty beyond imaginations
Never lacking in any beauty
She was complete with beauties
Whose chunk any ant to bite
That many a time, I soliloquized,
Is that all your beauty to have?
Themes and Media
I am conversant in any medium or media I decide to work with. I must say I am quite at ease with most of the media. However, the themes I decide to work on determine what best material is needed to work with. Most of the time, I don’t decide on my materials until I find a theme and a suitable storyline. There are lots of different serious issues that surround us, and these have got several different modes of approach with suitable materials to treat them. I work in clay to create uniquely designed sculptures for mainly interior floral decoration. I work in stone, metal and plastics as well. I enjoy doing installations (I am currently planning out my first), mixed and multimedia art. My work style also varies from realism to extreme abstract.
Basically, my themes are meant to play on the thinking process of humanity and to effect reconsideration of what we think are real and not real. ‘Ghana, My Africa’, is one of such themes that branch form the main theme that confronts our thought of reality. All forms of discrimination, all together, is one of my major themes.
Concept
Why this wood fits into this concept stems from the fact that, it was found at a site where it seemed to have lost value except for it being good for firewood or as a parchment for a worn-out footbridge or be left at the mercy of the weather. It is a human attitude, as I have come to know by experience, that we are not used to considering other uses for materials other than its primary usage(s). And when we get what we want, ‘the rest is history’. This attitude is so predominant among the Black African race.
One other interesting factor about this material is that even though it was dumped and seemed to have no use, I had to pay something for to have it. This validates the fact that “any useless thing has no owner until another finds value in and for it”.
This, for me is critical because this attitude has taken a huge toll on the Black African mentality on the political front such that, the ‘ordinary Ghanaian’ (who is always overlooked by politicians in power) becomes important to them only when they (politician) want votes of power from him (ordinary Ghanaian). And then he, the (ordinary Ghanaian), in turn, names his price of vote.
In working this piece, I traditionally sculpted them with the wood carving tools and mallet. Those are basically the only tools I used. I did my best to also maintain the original height of the wood piece. The Ghanaian culture has always frowned upon nudity and especially with the feminine. I chose to work with the nude figure, which our culture frown upon, to parallel it against all aspect of the current state of the African continent; from the ordinary individual African’s life to the state of economy of the whole continent. This exposure flirts with the outside world, however for the sake of ‘prostitution’ with this naked continent, they don’t say. This glaring nakedness, our culture is aware but where are its custodians to scrutinize it?
Finishing
Naturally, I find beauty in vagaries and roughness and contrary stuffs, why did I have to fine finish this work? Well, beauty is an abstract term and everyone with how he or she interprets it. The underlying truth of it is that you have to have beauty to interpret what it is in another. Therefore beauty has to come from within the beholder in order to appreciate what is without in perspective of the gaze. So then, I treated the piece with the fine finish to contradict what issues there are behind the creation of this work of art.
I added colours to depict and make prominent the wealth of the woman in order to contradict her nudity. I used them to serve as clues to identifying the art piece with Africa and to make it traceable to its routes.
.
The “art piece” is a relief that hangs on a wall. It was sculpted from a wood locally known as “asamfora”, by reason of its beautiful fair colour, which denotes one of the basic principle of beauty of the Ghanaian, and at large, Africa’s (Sub- Sahara). The work is 50” in length and 26” in breadth. From the on-set, Africa, on the world map, has the most beautiful outline with arguably, one of the friendliest natural environment (if not the best).
The black background represents the mysteries that surround the continent with its dark history. The red, yellow and green within the dark ground are the domineering of all colours on the continent. They are beautiful and identify Africa from the rest of the continents. They have, of course, their own meanings in respect to each country; yet, these meanings run throughout the continent.
Red represents the toil the continent had to go through to reach liberation.
Gold or yellow, (silver on the piece) stands for its ever abundant natural resources.
And,
Green denotes its evergreen vegetation, which supports almost every plant worldwide.
The basket signifies the security Africa enjoys from and within it’s culture.
On the piece, the dark reddish brown colour, is what I used here to represent the continent’s rich diversely dynamic cultural heritage and values.
This piece showcases the unique riches and beauty which the continent has, to project its pride in.
The poem:
MY AFRICA
When I look back into history
Here I am is a mystery
Deeper I get at knowing my previous
Darker my memory it grows
It is a wonder my wandering soul to find
In void of my previous, I became
My first sight to see was beauty amazing
It was beauty beyond beauties
Adorned with beauty beyond imaginations
Never lacking in any beauty
She was complete with beauties
Whose chunk any ant to bite
That many a time, I soliloquized,
Is that all your beauty to have?
Themes and Media
I am conversant in any medium or media I decide to work with. I must say I am quite at ease with most of the media. However, the themes I decide to work on determine what best material is needed to work with. Most of the time, I don’t decide on my materials until I find a theme and a suitable storyline. There are lots of different serious issues that surround us, and these have got several different modes of approach with suitable materials to treat them. I work in clay to create uniquely designed sculptures for mainly interior floral decoration. I work in stone, metal and plastics as well. I enjoy doing installations (I am currently planning out my first), mixed and multimedia art. My work style also varies from realism to extreme abstract.
Basically, my themes are meant to play on the thinking process of humanity and to effect reconsideration of what we think are real and not real. ‘Ghana, My Africa’, is one of such themes that branch form the main theme that confronts our thought of reality. All forms of discrimination, all together, is one of my major themes.
Concept
Why this wood fits into this concept stems from the fact that, it was found at a site where it seemed to have lost value except for it being good for firewood or as a parchment for a worn-out footbridge or be left at the mercy of the weather. It is a human attitude, as I have come to know by experience, that we are not used to considering other uses for materials other than its primary usage(s). And when we get what we want, ‘the rest is history’. This attitude is so predominant among the Black African race.
One other interesting factor about this material is that even though it was dumped and seemed to have no use, I had to pay something for to have it. This validates the fact that “any useless thing has no owner until another finds value in and for it”.
This, for me is critical because this attitude has taken a huge toll on the Black African mentality on the political front such that, the ‘ordinary Ghanaian’ (who is always overlooked by politicians in power) becomes important to them only when they (politician) want votes of power from him (ordinary Ghanaian). And then he, the (ordinary Ghanaian), in turn, names his price of vote.
In working this piece, I traditionally sculpted them with the wood carving tools and mallet. Those are basically the only tools I used. I did my best to also maintain the original height of the wood piece. The Ghanaian culture has always frowned upon nudity and especially with the feminine. I chose to work with the nude figure, which our culture frown upon, to parallel it against all aspect of the current state of the African continent; from the ordinary individual African’s life to the state of economy of the whole continent. This exposure flirts with the outside world, however for the sake of ‘prostitution’ with this naked continent, they don’t say. This glaring nakedness, our culture is aware but where are its custodians to scrutinize it?
Finishing
Naturally, I find beauty in vagaries and roughness and contrary stuffs, why did I have to fine finish this work? Well, beauty is an abstract term and everyone with how he or she interprets it. The underlying truth of it is that you have to have beauty to interpret what it is in another. Therefore beauty has to come from within the beholder in order to appreciate what is without in perspective of the gaze. So then, I treated the piece with the fine finish to contradict what issues there are behind the creation of this work of art.
I added colours to depict and make prominent the wealth of the woman in order to contradict her nudity. I used them to serve as clues to identifying the art piece with Africa and to make it traceable to its routes.
