Neither here nor there/Hverken her eller der
Kunstnere: Sandro Masai // Bright Ackwerh // Ernest Ofori Sackitey
Udstillingsperiode: 9. nov. - 4. dec. 2026
Hverken her eller der samler tre kunstnere, der arbejder fra hver sit sted: Aalborg, Accra og Tamale. Gennem silketryk, satire og fotografiske tryk undersøger de, hvordan kunst kan være politisk: hvem der har adgang, hvem der bliver hørt, og hvad et sted tager med sig, når det forandrer sig.
Sandro Masai er født i Brasilien og bor og arbejder i Aalborg. Med afsæt i sin afrobrasilianske baggrund arbejder han med afrofuturisme, dekolonisering og spiritualitet, ofte som performance og installation. I Huset viser han en serie silketryk, der udspringer af hans action paintings og er tilegnet guderne i yoruba-traditionen. At give dem plads på en europæisk kunstscene er i sig selv et politisk udsagn.
Bright Ackwerh bor og arbejder i Kumasi med maleri, illustration og street art og er kendt for sin serie #abonsamcartoons. Hans skarpe samfundskommentar er inspireret af den ghanesiske kunstnerduo FOKN BOIS og den nigerianske musiker og aktivist Fela Kuti. I Huset spørger hans værker på "papir", hvad det vil sige at være kunstner fra Kumasi med en praksis, der afhænger af bevægelse, når kroppen, der skaber værkerne, ikke kan bevæge sig lige så frit som idéerne i dem. Med visumpapirer, kvitteringer og tomme passider som materiale følger han, hvordan grænser sorterer i, hvem der får lov at være til stede.
Ernest Ofori Sackitey bor og arbejder i Tamale i det nordlige Ghana. Han arbejder med fotografi, dokumentation og fortælling, og til udstillingen spørger han: Hvad sker der med et sted, når dets forventede fremtid indfinder sig? I lagdelte cyanotypier, antotypier og fotografier af fabrikker, han gennem årene har dokumenteret i Ghana, sætter han Aalborgs forvandling fra industriby til kultur- og vidensby over for udviklingen derhjemme. Hvad vælger vi at beholde og bære med os, når kulturel erindring risikerer at forsvinde?
De tre mødte hinanden gennem Ghana Venskabs kunstprojekt The Art of Change, hvor de alle har været involveret i arbejdet med at skabe bedre betingelser for unge kunstnere i Ghana. Udstillingen udspringer af de relationer, der er vokset frem på tværs af lande og kunstneriske praksisser, og af det rum, der kan opstå mellem her og der.
// English version //
Neither Here nor There
Sandro Masai // Bright Ackwerh // Ernest Ofori Sackitey
Neither Here nor There brings together three artists, each working from a different place: Aalborg, Accra and Tamale. Through screen prints, satire and photographic prints, they explore how art can be political: who has access, who gets heard, and what a place carries with it when it changes.
Sandro Masai was born in Brazil and lives and works in Aalborg. Drawing on his Afro-Brazilian background, he works with Afrofuturism, decolonisation and spirituality, often through performance and installation. At Huset he shows a series of screen prints that grew out of his action paintings and are dedicated to the gods of the Yoruba tradition. Giving them space on a European art scene is a political statement in itself.
Bright Ackwerh, from Accra, works with painting, illustration and street art and is known for his series #abonsamcartoons. His sharp social commentary is inspired by the Ghanaian artist duo FOKN BOIS and the Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti. At Huset, his work on 'paper' asks what it means to be an artist from Kumasi whose practice depends on movement, when the body that makes the work is not as free to move as the ideas in it. Using visa paperwork, receipts, and empty passport pages as material, he traces how borders filter who gets to be present.
Ernest Ofori Sackitey lives and works in Tamale in northern Ghana. He works with photography, documentation and storytelling, and for this exhibition he asks: What happens to a place when its "supposed future" arrives? In layered cyanotypes, anthotypes and photographs of factories he has documented in Ghana over the years, he sets Aalborg's transformation from industrial city to city of culture and knowledge against developments at home. What do we choose to keep and carry with us when cultural memory is at risk of disappearing?
The three met through Ghana Venskab's art project The Art of Change, where they have all been involved in creating better conditions for young artists in Ghana. The exhibition grows out of the relationships that have formed across countries and artistic practices, and out of the space that can emerge between here and there.
Artists' bios:
Sandro Masai
Sandro Masai is an Afro-Brazilian multimedia artist working within the theme of afrofuturism, decolonisation, spirituality and empathy. His artworks normally take shape as participatory performances, interactive art installations and action paintings. For this exhibition he is showing a series of serigraphy prints extracted from action painting dedicated to the African gods from the Yoruban tradition.
Bright Ackwerh
Bright Ackwerh's practice is situated in the fields of painting, illustration and street art.
Known for his #abonsamcartoons series, Ackwerh's practice has been inspired by Ghanaian artist duo FOKN BOIS and the work of Nigerian activist and musician Fela Kuti in how they have made sociopolitical commentary.
He has recently been involved in organizing art workshops in the northern regions of Ghana, as part of a teaching project, collaborating with some development agencies based in Tamale.
Ernest Sackitey
Ernest Sackitey is a Tamale based Ghanaian artist who works with photography, documentation and storytelling, exploring people, places and mundane experiences through which larger cultural and social narratives emerge. His practice is rooted in image making as a practice of care, curiosity and close observation capturing not only the visible but stories, perspectives and moments that might otherwise be gone unnoticed.
Closely connected to the creative community around Red Clay in Tamale, Sackitey is committed to exchanges, collaborations and creating spaces for emerging artists to develop their practices and artistic voices.
Lise Grauenkær
Lise Grauenkær is a curator and programme coordinator working across art, global relations and social change. For more than 20 years, she has worked with partnerships between Denmark and Ghana, increasingly bringing art into this practice through projects such as The Art of Change. Her curatorial approach is relational and collaborative, with a focus on creating spaces where artists, ideas and different perspectives can meet. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Curating at Aarhus University.