Okolo’s portraits at Gallery 1957

By Alethea Duodu

Adabraka, Accra. November 16, 2021

Oliver Okolo was one of a select group of artists who have had their artwork exhibited in Ghana’s prestigious Gallery 1957. Okolo’s first exhibition in Accra is dubbed ‘Portraits of the life Elizabeth Freeman’, which featured 15 others at the gallery. Okolo’s work can be interpreted as his search for empirical truth in defining reality.

Level 300 journalism students from the African University College of Communications (AUCC)  got the chance on Tuesday November 9 to visit the art gallery at the Kempinski Hotel as part of a class project on aesthetics and appreciation.

Okolo works in mixed media – charcoal and paint primarily – to capture the subjects of his striking portraits. In all, 20 works presented include “I forgot to tell you” and the strongly personal and intimate “Now listen”.

“He uses the human form to create artworks that talk about his opinions and views, and about the things he feels are neglected or not spoken about in his society”, said fellow student Ivy Menye who was full of joy from “learning and discovering new things”.

Open to the public from the 8th, the exhibition runs through November 27, 2021.