Art Antwerp: James Barnor

Coinciding with James Barnor: Studio of Life (26.10.2023 - 10.03.2024), the retrospective devoted by FOMU to the work of James Barnor (b.1929, Ghana), the booth showcases some of the artist's most influential works, spanning four decades, from the 1950s to the 1980s.

From the turn of the 1950s in Accra, where he opened Ever Young Studio and became one of the Gold Coast's first local photojournalists, Barnor captured the city's bustling, cosmopolitan atmosphere. With a commitment to social progress, he photographed his nation and its leaders in the run up to independence in 1957.

Moving to the United Kingdom in 1959, Barnor refined his technique at the Medway College of Art and at the Colour Processing Laboratories, in Kent. Extensively recording the African diaspora, he worked as a lifestyle photographer for the Pan-African Drum magazine. From Muhammad Ali to Ghanaian BBC presenter Mike Eghan and Drum cover model Erlin Ibreck, Barnor documented the effervescent multiculturalism of the 'Swinging Sixties'.
After training with Agfa-Gevaert in Belgium and Germany, Barnor opened the first commercial colour laboratory in Ghana in 1970. He resumed his studio practice with Studio X23 (1973-1992), taking up commissions and creating record sleeves for musicians, all while photographing his community, providing a colourful insight into the vibrant and tumultuous spirit of Ghana through this era.