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Ghana's Wild Movie Posters: Art or Absurdity?
24 Oct
Summary
- Ghanaian artists created fantastical movie posters for video clubs.
- These posters often depicted scenes not present in the films.
- A gallery now preserves and sells this unique film art.
During the 1980s and '90s, Ghana developed a distinctive film promotion industry. Traveling "video clubs," equipped with a truck, TV, and VCR, brought movies to rural areas. To entice viewers, local artists created vibrant, hand-painted posters, often featuring fantastical and bizarre imagery unrelated to the actual films.
These guerrilla art posters sometimes depicted scenes like sharks eating people or characters engaging in impossible actions, driven by the belief that exaggerated art sold more tickets. This unique style began to fade with the new millennium.
However, the legacy of this art form endures thanks to the Deadly Prey Gallery, founded 15 years ago. The gallery now offers these fantastical posters to collectors and actively commissions new works from the pioneering artists, ensuring this creative heritage is preserved.
