by Alex Wells
There is something endearing about about hand-painted bad art. This is the crux of this show at Beyond the Streets curated with the help of Deadly Prey Gallery.
VHS Dreams shows large movie posters, hand-painted on canvas by Ghanese artists, many whom have never seen the films which they’re advertising. The poster paintings allude to the overall plot of the film (sometimes), some more than others, and some not at all—for example I have no idea why Marlon Brando is holding a giant cat in his lap in The Godfather poster.
Depicting the plot of the film does not seem to be the central goal. The central goal is to get attendees to the various screenings in Ghanese towns and villages by incorporating elements that the artists believe will entice viewers to attend. Such as: guns, blood, violence, and an overall sense of mania. I wonder if this is what they think of Americans or if this is generally what sells well there—or possibly it is more likely a mix of both.
In, for instance, the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off poster, Ferris is shown slitting someone’s throat with a knife while other prominent characters brandish guns in the background. The paintings are vibrant and detailed—if slightly crude—and some artists are more talented than others.
Imagine a whole room of this. Seeing just one would make you chuckle – seeing wall-to-wall hand painted extreme versions of famous American films is an installation, and one that should not be missed.
Seeing just how creative and terrifying truly global capitalism can be is weird, strange, creepy, and enlightening all at once.
Image: Staff
