Self
Mindy Solomon is pleased to present Self the debut solo exhibition of Ghanaian artist Sena Burgundy Appau. Discovered on a visit to Ghana in the fall of 2021 at the famed Noldor Residency, Burgundy Appau’s arresting large scale portraits and toothsome, succulent flowers immediately made an impression. Painterly, fresh and authentic, the commitment to exhibit soon followed.
Burgundy Appau describes his artistry as follows: “Through inspiration from sci-fi imagery, classical music and movie scores, I focus on ideas regarding calmness, obscurity, elevation and identity. I present works that are meant to inspire introspection into our daily lives and to help question and perhaps answer the rather daunting process of finding “Self”, which is a never-ending journey.
I believe that through my work I am able to provide a space for introspection and to help the individual achieve his highest point of “Self” and to help one go into the world and to face it head-on.
My work also provides a fresh view on portraiture and to a larger extent the concept of Afrofuturism. I believe that the color blue, and my use as a representation of elevation, calmness, obscurity and identity will be most compelling in years to come.”
The Afrofuturistic aspect of his work is of significance in the narrative of his imagery. Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic that integrates science-fiction, fantasy and history to explore the African American experience and to connect those from the black diaspora with their African ancestry. Burgundy Appau creates fierce, masked faces staring defiantly at the viewer as if to challenge their right to exist and travel through time. The use of the flower creates a sympathetic tone- somehow altering the edginess of the subject of the portrait thus softening the narrative.
Born to an artist father, Burgundy Appau spent most of his life in the studio and at site specific commission-based installations and otherart related projects. He also frequented art gallery exhibitions most weekends with his father. His dad’s keen eye for making great work subsequently gained him notoriety and a position of significance in the commercial art world in Ghana.
Burgundy Appau’s youth and talent will no doubt place him on the same trajectory. With his interest in self-reflection and mindfulness, he will broaden the conversation regarding contemporary art being created on the African Continent.
About Sena Burgundy Appau
Sena Burgundy Appau (born in 1997 in Accra) is a multidisciplinary visual artist who currently focuses his practice on ideas of calmness and confrontations expressed through the painting of flowers and blue figures to incite a state of self awareness which he believes can help lift the human persona into a state of self discovery.
Born to an artist dad, he spent most of his life in the studio and at site specific commission based installations and other art related projects. He also spent most of his weekends attending gallery exhibitions with his father. His dad’s keen eye for making great work which gained him popularity and a strong foothold in the industrial commercial artspace in the 2000’s drives him to uphold the values of making not only great but spectacular works of art as well.
Due to his inquisitive nature and need to experiment often he then decided to explore the digital possibilities of making art by enrolling in the 3D Animation & Motion Graphics portfolio course at Accra International School of Advertising & Design in 2017. During this period he also worked as a designer and screen printer before finally deciding in 2021 to pursue art as a fulltime career.
He currently lives and works in Accra where he still experiments with both digital and traditional mediums to help develop new ideas and to further improve his artistic practice. He finds inspiration from film and other artists and just ended his 2021 Visiting Fellowship program at the Noldor Artist Residency.
