Dancing with Culture (2022)

Anthony Amoako-Attah superimposes the intricate patterns of Kente textiles from southern Ghana onto sheet glass, which he kiln-forms to mimic the movement and texture of cloth. Kente cloth uses colour and patterns symbolically to celebrate rites of passage and historic events. It also incorporates black and white symbols called adinkra, which represent concepts from Ghanaian proverbs. Amoako-Attah invents new Kente designs that express contemporary experiences of transition, migration, integration and life chances. He says, ‘My work seeks to bridge the gap between Ghanaian art and the contemporary glass world. My work also investigates the identity of the artist and ... Black identity in the glass world.’ Although Kente cloth originated in southern Ghana, it has been adopted throughout the West African diaspora.

Manchester drew its wealth from the cotton trade in the nineteenth century and had an influential glassmaking industry until the 1920s. Amoako-Attah’s oeuvre connects these two materials – cotton and glass – which are central to Manchester’s history, which is why he was commissioned to make a piece for Manchester Art Gallery. As Kente cloth is often used to illustrate proverbs, Amoako-Attah was drawn to the motto carved onto the exterior of the art gallery – For the Advancement and Fulfillment of Knowledge – and created Dancing with Culture (2022) in response. His sculpture reflects the complexity of culture and the role of identity in creating meanings. It also expresses the artist’s desire to engage with arts actively, ‘as a participant, not an observer’ – a philosophy Amoako-Attah has manifested by developing his own distinctive practice from the outset of his studies rather than simply imitating existing European models.

Manchester Art Gallery has a collection of over 1,300 pieces of glass, and recent collecting has focused on Black and Asian artists, who are particularly under-represented in this craft. Amoako-Attah's commission, Dancing with Culture, is an exquisitely crafted, large-scale piece that merges European studio glass with West African culture, adding a much-needed Black presence to both Manchester’s collection and the contemporary glass art scene.

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