 | Tei Mensah Huagie |
The World Bank Art Program and the World Bank Paris Office are proud to present “Going Going Ghana!” an art exhibition featuring contemporary art from influential and emerging Ghanaian artists. Building on lessons learned from 50 years of independence, Ghana today benefits from a fertile, engaging and all-pervasive national dialogue focused on sustainable development and public policy. No where is this dynamic debate more evident than in the arts. The World Bank Group is well positioned to participate and be an ambassador for positive developments taking place in Ghana and other sub-Saharan countries. Ghana’s achievements are many: “Ghana is one of the best-performing economies in Africa with a vibrant and democratic governance structure in place. Poverty rates have declined from 52 percent (1990) to 28 percent (2006), making Ghana one of the first African countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty possibly as early as 2008. Ghana has made good progress in achieving the goals of its Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy, namely, (a) enable a stable economy with falling inflation and interest rates, (b) create more formal private sector jobs, and (c) continue to maintain high educational enrolment levels with gender parity.”
By presenting these works, each artist imparts the energy, charm, creativity, optimism and envisioned future of a country embracing its strengths. Through this exhibit, the World Bank Group and the World Bank Paris Office pay tribute to the creativity of the people of Ghana.
Cyril Muller
Manager
Paris Office
 | Ani Kwadwo, Jack, Where Are you? |
Going Going Ghana! highlights established and emerging contemporary artists, born and/or living and working in Ghana. It features—in some cases, for the first time in France—masterworks, burgeoning talents, and the newest trends in the vibrant art scene of Ghana. Ghana is on the move. The economy is growing, educational enrollment is increasing at all levels, and the aspirations of a new generation of young Ghanaians who want to make the most of globalization are on the rise. Nowhere is this change more notable than in the arts, as is evident in this exhibition on contemporary art. The Art Program prefers to promote emerging artists, in keeping with the spirit of the Bank’s goal of offering opportunity all sectors of society. However, exceptionally influential established artists who are included in the permanent collection have also been included in the exhibitions if their work has been pivotal in the careers of other artists. 
| Virginia Ryan, Anomabo Bluebottle |
Among the works presented, special tribute should be paid to the work of the following internationally renowned masters. Prof. Ablade Glover’s intense, physical oil paintings have influenced many generations of Ghanaian artists while still remaining strong, fresh and immediate. His gallery/studio continues to promote the best artworks in the country. Prof. El Anatsui’s sculptural work has received critical acclaim worldwide, including recognition this year at the Biennale of Venice (the world’s oldest and most recognized international art show). Rikki Wemega Kwawu, with his piece Silence influenced by the iconography of traditional textiles and his search of the cultural roots of language and identity; Owusu Ankomah, celebrated at the Biennale of Contemporary African Art - Dak’Art, Senegal in the section dedicated to younger artists, exhibits here two of his signature pieces: one from the International Finance Corporation’s collection and the other from the Art Program’s permanent collection. Kofi Setordji, one of the key players in Ghana’s local art scene, is represented with a group of essential and elegant wooden sculptures, Mind, Soul, Body. He is the founder of Arthaus, an international meeting-point on the outskirts of Accra for established and emerging artists, molded on the example of the German Bauhaus from the 1930s. Virginia Ryan (an Australian, but resident in Accra) applies a strong personal interpretation of the object trouvé. Her commitment to the environment of her adopted country is strikingly manifest in her work. Pamela Clarkson, with her brilliant prints, is a new entry in the Art Program’s collection. Our admiration goes as well to the emerging artists, and in particular to conceptual artist Kofi Dowson, with his intriguing installation Ants; whimsical painter Ani Kwadwo; the socially committed sculptor Tei Mensah Huagie and the internationally active up-and-coming Senam Okudjeto—one of the three women in the show—with her poetic silhouettes. This exhibition is conceived and organized by the World Bank Art Program in partnership with the World Bank Ghana and Paris offices. Our gratitude goes to the artists and their patron Irena Kunovska—without whose passionate, professional, and generous support this exhibition would not have been possible. Enjoy the art. Have fun. Be moved. Be inspired.
Marina Galvani
Art Curator
The World Bank Art Program
 | El Anatsui, One Out of the Crowd |
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