Mitochondria Gallery is pleased to introduce Crystal Yayra Anthony as our featured artist. Crystal Yayra Anthony, born on the 30th of May 1997, is a self-taught Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist living and working in Accra, Ghana. She recently completed her combined degree in Literature and Theatre Arts.
Crystal is part of the ongoing group exhibition "In Tender Peaks, Grace Unfolds" curated by Moriah Alise, which opened on the 16th of February and is on view through the 15th of March.
For her debut exhibition with Mitochondria Gallery, Anthony presents a single work, titled Away with the pain.
Away with the pain. Oil,acrylic and oil pastel on canvas. 2024
After a mental health crisis during her time at the University of Ghana, she turned to art for solace. During the pandemic, Crystal reconsidered her career choices and decided to pursue one as a full time artist. Anthony was propelled into the art scene and eventually under Amoako Boafo’s mentorship from which she continues to harness her skills.
Anthony connects more profoundly with herself through her paintings. This connection encompasses a re-engagement of her African identity and her feelings towards her friends. It enables her to visually express intimacy and vulnerability. Her work is driven by a desire to ensure that the most meaningful aspects of our lived experiences are neither forgotten nor overlooked. Thus, Anthony immortalizes these moments on canvas, evoking a powerful sense of both personal and collective nostalgia.
For example, the depiction of nudity in her art represents a recapture of the pre-colonial era in various parts of Africa, where it was not sexualized but rather a practical response to the intense African sun. Continuing at this pace and on this trajectory, her complete body of work is poised to become a compendium of representations in various art forms. It will encapsulate her ongoing exploration of the valuable elements of her ancestry, her current social environment, and her evolving re-conceptualization of self within different social contexts.
Crystal Yayra Anthony was part of the inaugural class of the dot.ateliers residency program, in Accra, Ghana, founded by Amoako Boafo. Anthony also recently completed her first international artist residency in Brooklyn New York, with ISCP, International Studio & Curatorial Program earlier this year.
For more information about Crystal Yayra Anthony please contact us: [email protected]
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