Shallman Quashie – Transcendent Kingdom
It has been an incredible journey in my life as an artist and I believe the real journey has just begun. I was born in Accra the capital town of Ghana. As a little boy growing up, I found myself always drawing on the cover of my notebooks and on the walls both in school and at home. Throughout my secondary school days, I always made sure I was always the best in my art class. Since my teenage years, my aim as an artist has always been to fill the canvas or paper with life and energy so as to put the viewer in a state of disbelieve and in a mental journey or a state of trance and not for the remuneration offered for it because a good painting is priceless.
I travelled to England in 2001(where I still live) and led the hustling lifestyle. After a few years, I realized that I was searching for something I already have. I also had the chance to travel around Europe visiting art museums and art galleries and this inspired me to start painting again. Since then, I have been in and out of a painting from 2007 and in 2018, I felt a strong need to give it my full attention realising I could change the world in my own small way with what I do.
Even though I call my style “Afro Expressionism painter, my paintings defy easy categorization because I prefer to move freely from painting a very simple still life to a complicated abstract work depending on my inspiration at the time. I see art (painting, music, poetry, sculpture etc.) as a means of self-expression, freedom, life and imagination which is why I do not know which direction my work will take as I navigate my own personal journey as an artist and a human being.
Our ideas and concept of identity and beauty have been passed on to us and we accept them as truth rather than our own experience and definition of it. In my work, I thrive to explore a different facet of our identity and beauty and also our ancestral heritage through spiritual awakening.
Africans have the ability to tap into the unknown to consult their ancestors for answers and guidance. My works attempt to re-imagine and recreate this connection that in turn leads to self-awareness and a sense of belonging
In my work, I thrive to explore different facet of our identity and beauty as a people and also exploring what I call African Spiritualism melded with dream logic and Eroticism.
