Bucks &amp; Oxon

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<a href="https://mkgallery.org/event/larry-achiampong/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MK Gallery</a> landed a real coup when it bagged the first major solo exhibition for the British-Ghanaian artist Larry Achiampong. Muddy spoke to him about his wildly varied inspiration, the reaction to the show, and how he&#8217;s become one of the most talked about artists of the moment&#8230;



Congratulations on your solo show at MK Gallery. What can we expect from the exhibition?



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Wayfinder is my most ambitious exhibition to date, including my first feature film. It’s about a young black girl, The Wanderer, who makes her way south from Hadrian’s Wall. She meets various people and it’s told across six chapters exploring migration, race and gender. There’s also objects, outfits, and gaming &#8211; the crossover of the digital world and the old world is also at the heart of what I do.



So there are computer games as part of Wayfinder?



Yes. Gaming was a big part of my culture growing up in east London in the 80s and 90s. Home consoles were frowned upon then and seen as juvenile and violent but just like there are countless books that aren’t about warfare, there are plenty of games that aren’t violent. Gaming was once frowned upon in the art world but it’s now celebrated. People can play games as part of Wayfinder and explore my inspiration.



Will that help the show appeal to kids who might not usually visit a contemporary art gallery?



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I’m a practitioner and sometimes I don’t feel comfortable visiting a gallery! But yes, anything that invites people in. I’m interested in opening up the conversation around gaming &#8211; it’s about communities, people sharing conversations; getting together after a long day.



And what has been the reaction so far to your show?



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I had a big response when it was at the Turner Contemporary Gallery (Margate) from people taking families with them and sharing the experience. And now I’ve had messages from people I don’t know who’ve seen the show at MK and want to engage.



Do you wish you could be a ‘fly on the wall’ and witness the response for yourself?



I went to an event at MK Gallery with my son and it was amazing to see how immersed people were &#8211; young and old, especially some of the volunteers from the gallery. We shared tearful moments at times as they’re reckoning with some painful parts of history. But no, I don’t want to be there. I’m not serving them a meal and waiting to see what they think. I let the work have its own conversation with people. It’s a show &#8211; you go there, give it a go and hopefully you’ll learn something about yourself or others.



How did you make art your career?



I’m indebted to my mother for the willpower I have. I listen to her stories of struggle and her upbringing in Ghana, and the sacrifices she made for me and my siblings to be born and raised here. I helped her with manual labour growing up and those real life experiences inspired me to study and work at pouring everything into doing something I love.&nbsp;



For people who discover your work at MK, where can they see more of it?



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I did my first permanent work with London Underground at Westminster station working with their roundel. I’ve also got an audio art work and my new pan-African flag, both showcased in Greenwich, and I have works in the Science Museum.



Do you spend much time in London now you’ve moved out to Essex? Any favourite hangouts? I have a studio space in east London. There’s this really cool place called <a href="https://fourquarters.bar/location/arcade-bar-east-london/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Four Quarters</a>, a video games bar with arcade and retro console games. There’s also <a href="https://genesiscinema.co.uk/GenesisCinema.dll/Home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Genesis Cinema</a> near where I grew in Bethnal Green and found my love of cinema, along with my Mum. When Wayfinder was picked up for cinematic distribution in July this year, Genesis screened it. That was a very special moment for me.



See <a href="https://mkgallery.org/event/larry-achiampong/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Larry Achiampong&#8217;s Wayfinder</a> at MK Gallery until 15 January.

Meet the world-renowned artist with a show in Bucks

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