Rhythm of Colours

The extraordinary Rhythm of Colours photography exhibition is not one you are going to want to miss! The immersive exhibition is running until the beginning of June at the In The Pink Gallery in Praça da República in Loulé.

The selection of artworks explores the extraordinary trait in which colours have rhythm, as their voluptuous and intense hues usher a sort of beat that transforms compositions into something more than just visual, towards a tuneful territory.

The astounding talent behind these captivating artworks are artists Saïdou Dicko, Derrick Ofosu Boateng and Thandiwe Muriu, who investigate a bountiful imagery that brings the audience closer to “the rumbling noises of busy streets, the joyful melody of children playing, roaring drums in the distance, the poetic silences of a family home’s backyard or the tempo in waves crashing the shore. With vivid colours, concealed characters and contrasting textures, their artworks create a visual score that invites the public to examine the images in an immersive gesture.”

“The exhibition and the artists introduce a diverse set of ideas that evoke our emotions. The artists in Rhythm of Colours both challenge and embrace elements of their own traditions with aims to ultimately discover collective and individual innovative ways of understanding the world.”

Dicko, Boateng and Muriu works stem also from a collective African cultural background, sharing a common pioneering practice in the photographic medium, however complex, plural, and distinctive the continent may be.

“In this sense, the artworks gathered in the exhibition depict people and places not only from their stunning visual aspect, but also as belonging to full sensorial experiences. There is when the plentiful tones in the colours become also musical tones, as they portray a memory of affection as well as an idea of something still to come.”

Vibrant Art

When asked about the inspiration behind the exhibition, owners, Anja and Philip Burks told The Portugal News that “Five years ago we travelled through 7 countries in Africa. We were stunned by the vibrancy of the art we came across. Two years later we discovered Thandiwe Muriu’s work at Photo London and spontaneously bought two of her artworks. She was an absolute newcomer at the time and we felt that her work was so colourful and strong and belonged in our house in the Algarve.”

They went on to add that “We actively started looking for more African art at fairs and in galleries, and were fortunate to come across Saidou Dicko’s and Derek Ofosu Boateng’s work. We feel that these works belong in places in the sun and by the sea. All three artists are internationally acclaimed, with sales all over the world, and we are proud to present them to our audience in the Algarve.”

About the Artists

Saïdou Dicko (Burkina Faso, 1979) is a self-taught multimedia artist that started drawing from an early age, when he was still a shepherd in the Sahel, by outlining the shadows of animals and plants on the ground. His work in the photographic series “Shadowed People” assembles different local patterns, settings, and objects from his homeland culture, inserting human figures as shadows in heavy black paint. Saïdou Dicko has participated in numerous exhibitions, biennials and art fairs in France, Morrocco, Germany, Brazil, USA, Portugal, Mali, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Italy, Senegal, among others.

Derrick Ofosu Boateng (Ghana, 1999) is a young artist who started in photography through social media and with much support from his father, who gifted Boateng with an iPhone in a gesture of endorsement of his artistic talent. This device is still used by the artist for the flexibility it enables when capturing daily scenes in Boateng’s hometown, Accra. The explosion of colours and textures in the works send a direct message on shifting the negative mainstream perception of African societies towards an understanding of the boasting liveliness and the energetic creativity of the cultural landscapes in the continent. Despite his recent artistic practice, in 2021, Derrick Boateng won the Global Peace Photo Award. He has also participated in exhibitions and art fairs in London, Basel, Paris, Miami, Amsterdam, and Brussels.

Thandiwe Muriu (Kenya, 1990) started her professional career at only 17 in Nairobi as a commercial photographer in the advertising industry, where she boldly made a name for herself. Her journey in artistic photography was stimulated by questions around self-perception, the role of women in society and the place of tradition, after operating for a long time in a male-dominated industry. Thus, Muriu’s works display a vivid aesthetic, on a colourful, reflective journey through her world as a woman living in modern Kenya as she reinterprets Contemporary African Portraiture. Thandiwe Muriu has participated in exhibitions and art fairs in Nairobi, London, Paris, Venice, Geneva, Miami, Amsterdam, New York, among others.

For more information, please visit www.in-the-pink.com or find them on Instagram and Facebook @inthepinkphoto. For enquiries, please email info@in-the-pink.com.

Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.

Cristina da Costa Brookes