Not One Or Two: Emmanuel Manu Opoku

Runs / November 3 – December 17, 2023

Reception / Friday, November 3, 6-9 PM

Hours: Sat-Sun from 2-6 PM

Grizzly Grizzly premieres Not One or Two, an exhibition by painter and sculptor Emmanuel Manu Opoku from November 3 to December 17. For his first solo show in Philadelphia, Opoku installs paintings and sculptures that examine consumerism and throwaway culture by revealing and revering the hidden value inherent in common household objects. Through humor and surreal juxtapositions, the artist explores his experiences of cultural assimilation as part of the Ghanian diaspora.

In his symbolic portraits of friends and family, Opoku explores irrational and subconscious elements of human existence while reconsidering material cultures, specifically, intersections between the United States and Ghana. He captures the memories and connections that people have with their things, snapshots of our ever-evolving multi-culture. Of his paintings, Opoku states, “I consider portraits as a monument to an individual’s memory–a realization of present culture, society, and archival impulse.”

In each painting Opoku incorporates a saturated colorful background referencing Ghanaian fabric (the pattern is invented from his memory of a comedy show in the 90s), a nod to his heritage. Considering cultural identity and hybridity, Opoku seamlessly blends human figures, self-portraits, and portraits of his loved ones, with non-human elements, such as a loaf of bread, camera and waffle iron, long spoon, track light, hotdog, horse's head, teapot, faucet, and basket of fruit. This fusion comments on the fluidity of identity, the blending of cultural influences, and the concept of "otherness."

Influenced by his upbringing in Ghana, Opoku was shaped by a culture where broken electronics and appliances find new life rather than being hastily discarded. Opoku carries this perspective into his sculptural work. Finding inspiration from Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades, he combines pots and pans, a vacuum cleaner, blender, and other household items. His reference to Duchamp reignites the discourse surrounding the value of industrial-made objects by recognizing the inherent worth and cultural symbolism within these functional, but not long-lasting, consumer products.

These works, paintings and sculptures together work to capture the elusive essence of people who share cultural, sociological, and political relationships with each other and the symbols in their lives.

Artist Bio

Emmanuel Manu Opoku born in Ghana (1990) received his BFA in Painting from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and his MFA in Sculpture from the University of Florida. Opoku has had solo exhibitions in Palatka (FL), Gainesville (FL), Deland (FL), Wilmington (NC), Santa Fe (NM) and his work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions in the US and internationally. Opoku has participated in a touring video exhibition which involves 60 artists living across the US. He is a recipient of James J. Rizzi Studio Award, Harold Garde Studio Art Award, College of the Arts UF Dean's Award, Outstanding Student Award and ArtsWorcester Juror’s Prize. Opoku is a former curator of 4Most gallery and a former Adjunct Professor of Studio Art at the University of Florida, Gainesville. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Studio Art – Painting at Assumption University, Worcester, and Adjunct Professor of Studio Art – Sculpture at Clark University, Worcester.