Black History Month Art Exhibition: 'My Complexion' by Annan Affotey

Oxford-based artist, Annan Affotey, will be exhibiting some of his paintings in the College’s Hamlin Gallery from Saturday 1 October. 

Annan navigates Black identity through portraiture. His paintings focus on women and men of colour with vibrant dark skin and soul filled, red eyes. He surrounds his figures in negative space allowing each subject to tell their own story. Affotey’s paintings highlight the nuances of facial expression and examine a story that goes beyond surface level.

Annan was born in 1985 and graduated from Ghanatta College of Art and Design in 2007 with a degree in Drawing and Painting. In 2013, Annan helped found the African Young Artist Organization (AYAO), a group dedicated to supporting African youth in the arts through education and exhibitions.

His paintings are influenced by two main factors: growing up in the presence of strong women and the cultural diversity he’s experienced through living in Ghana, Europe and the United States. The combination of these experiences brings a diverse narrative to his work, exploring the nuanced stories and meanings behind his subjects’ faces and bodies.

On Thursday 20 October (16:30-18:00), Annan will be in conversation in Mordan Hall talking about his work, and will also offer a walk-through of the exhibition. Find out more.