Whitehot Recommends: Adjei Tawiah: I Miss Us at Opera Gallery

Installation view, Adjei Tawiah: I Miss Us at Opera Gallery. Courtesy of Opera Gallery.

Adjei Tawiah: I Miss Us

Opera Gallery

March 15 through April 11, 2023

By WM, March 2023

From the press release: 

Opera Gallery New York is pleased to present I Miss Us, a solo exhibition curated by Chantel Akworkor Thompson, by Ghanaian artist Adjei Tawiah. The show will open to the public from March 15th through April 11th, 2023, at 791 Madison Avenue, New York, NY. Through this new collection of portraits, Tawiah explores the enduring emotions that continue to linger after a relationship breaks down when Us becomes I.

Installation view, Adjei Tawiah: I Miss Us at Opera Gallery. Courtesy of Opera Gallery.

Focusing on memory's role in shaping the legacy of 'lost' Love, Tawiah's portraits capture melancholy moments. Moments induced by memories of a love once had that meander in the mind, shooting arrows of anguish towards the heart. Alone, hearts overwhelmed, time takes leave as the individuals stand frozen in time, whether alone in a silk-laden embrace, hearts beating in sync, surrendering to Love. With skin rendered in an exquisite lucid cobalt hue with a pearl-like sheen, swirled and laced with ivory black, Adjei's portraits exude opulence. Their vulnerability lures us into a state of reflection, offering us an opportunity to meditate on our own heartbreaks. This is Tawiah urging us to consider how one heals if we allow pain to wipe out the memory of Love. Can Love remain when the relationship ceases to exist when Us is no more? Using his signature nylon sponge material, popularly used in his home country of Ghana for bathing, Tawiah creates a metaphor for healing, the element of the grieving process he wants us to contemplate. What is left when the pain subsides, and we let go of the attachment to the human who once was in our presence? WM