Old painted film posters from Ghana exhibited in German museum

Film posters that were painted from the 1980s in Ghana are been displayed in an exhibition at the International Design Museum in Munich, Germany.

The exhibition which is currently ongoing until June 26, 2011, will see hand-painted posters that have advertised Ghanaian, Nigerian and Hollywood made action movies as well as martial arts films from Asia.

“The International Design Museum Munich presents ‘Deadly and Brutal’ film posters from Ghana, on view until June 26, 2011. Graphic design from West Africa: Ever since the 1980s, hand-painted posters have advertised Nollywood and locally-made action movies or family dramas in Ghana, not to mention the Hollywood blockbusters and martial arts films from the Far East”,  the organizers Die Neue Sammlung told the Art Daily in Germany during the fair.

In sub-Saharan Africa, hand-painted advertising boards for hairdresser salons, take-aways, or native healers are still very much a normal part of street life but in Ghana, according to the organizers, a special role is played in these colourful paintings by cinema posters.

“The posters are made in small painting studios who act as service providers and make posters, advertising boards and other items, such as portraits or the likenesses of rock stars, soccer players, and popular politicians”, the organizers were reported to have said.

The posters were put together by the Dr. Wolfgang Stäbler Collection in Rosenheim.

By Ekow Quandzie