The Colour of Hope

Sometimes quirky, sometimes serene, Prince Gyasi’s portraits rebel against preconceived notions one may have of Ghana. Tanvi Dhulia learns more.

- Tanvi Dhulia

You will rarely find eyes meeting yours in Prince Gyasi’s portraits. Even so, in all their vibrant elegance, his subjects seem to hint at what they are communicating through their bodies. Each image of his, woven of colours and the human form, is a story meant to evoke certain emotions. While this approach may have been driven by instinct, Gyasi realised that he finds it rather disconcerting when a person in a picture is staring right at him.

Looking Within

Though such portraits have their own appeal, he is more concerned with allowing the viewer to place themselves in the shoes of the subject. To him, looking into the eyes of a person makes one aware of their individuality. Even though the faces of his subjects are most often turned away from the lens, making it impossible to read their expressions, the lilt of their forms speak a familiar dialect. A head is raised in quiet expectation, indicative of patience. Young men connect their arms for a brief moment in the midst of a leisurely dance, celebrating something unknown to us. Eyes, unseen, gaze longingly at an expansive sea. It doesn’t take much to imagine the hopefulness in the person’s thoughts.

His Own Vocabulary

The 22-year old spends hours and days deliberating over concepts, using a language of colours to tell his tales. “A photograph can make someone happy, or bring peace to a family,” he says. He believes that the right hues can have a therapeutic effect on a person. To him, each one signifies a particular emotion and “portrays a different energy.”