Extreme Canvas 2: The Golden Age of Hand-Painted Movie Posters from Ghana

Thank gods for Ernie Wolfe III! Extreme Canvas 2: The Golden Age of Hand-Painted Movie Posters from Ghana—the title says it all– is loaded with hundreds of movie posters, celebrating Ghana’s movie poster artists and the Golden  Era, 1985 to 1999, during which they plied their craft.

The hand-painted movie poster is vanishing art form as Wolfe points out. Digital printing and access to the internet allows posters to be quickly assembled and homogenized, and the proliferation of  smart phones as a medium for streaming films has changed the way Ghanaians, and all of us, perceive movies and their advertisements.

These posters celebrate the genres most popular in Ghana and around the world, from Hollywood to Bollywood: Muscular action heroes, curvaceous heroines, horrifying monsters, and lots of action and implied sex. These posters are pre-mass globalization, designed and created by Ghanaians, for Ghanians, signed by the artists. Many of these works are on display at Ernie Wolfe Gallery in the new exhibition, “The Horror, The Horror,” curated by Brandon Boyd which opens for the public Wednesday November 18, at 7pm.

With an introduction by Robert Williams and essays by Roger Donaldson, Lisa Eisner, Dave Hickey, Glenn Schaeffer, Sid Sheinberg, Roy Sieber, Don Was and Wolfe, Extreme Canvas 2: The Golden Age of Hand-Painted Movie Posters from Ghana, is a book full of wonder and excitement that celebrates movies and art, and  culture rapidly disappearing through progress/cultural imperialism.

The Horror, The Horror curated by Brandon Boyd
Opening Wednesday, November 20, 2013, 7pm to 10pm
Ernie Wolfe Gallery
1653 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, California 90025

Call for gallery hours: 310-478-2960