"In capturing the layered essence of the Black bodies in my work, I seek to capture a sense of balance and conflict within a single entity captured as a demi-god. I have always looked to push the boundaries of representation and I believe it is important to celebrate the complexity of existence."
—Emmanuel Taku

Presenting three demi-goddesses unified by a sea of floral paisley, Emmanuel Taku’s The Three Damsels is a monumental example of the Ghanian artist’s acclaimed practice of “figurative surrealism.”ⁱ In the present work, the highly refined rendering of the figures stands in dramatic contrast to the abstract flatness of their silhouetted clothing. Their eyes, depicted as glowing orbs of white light, enhance the surreal nature of the composition and highlight the powerful mystique of these subjects. Capturing his singular painterly vocabulary that places him amongst the vital contemporary figurative painters who seek to reframe Black narratives within the art historical canon, The Three Damsels embodies Taku’s swift rise as “an extraordinary emerging talent in contemporary painting [who] addresses pertinent issues surrounding race and identity with an elegant complexity.”ⁱⁱ

 

 

 

"There is an adage in my language that says, ‘If one person stands, he is defeated easily. But if they are two or more, they are able to defeat whatever is attacking them.’ That is why most of the time you don’t see any gaps or space between [my subjects]."
—Emmanuel Taku

 

Best known for his large multi-figure compositions that combine realist portraiture and abstraction, Taku studied at the Ghanatta College of Art and Design from 2005 to 2009 where he met his close friends and contemporaries Amoako Boafo, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, and Kwesi Botchway. Taku developed a figurative style unique from his peers, focusing on multiple figures united through their clothing “to create a sense of consolidation, synergy and unity,” as he explained. “The anthropomorphic silhouettes created by the bodies engulfed in silk screened fabric print are emphatic of this unity.”ⁱⁱⁱ Here, the three women are ultimately fused together through the fashionable, abstracted attire they wear, capturing the artist’s aim to embody the power of a unified humanity. As he expressed, “When we come together, it doesn’t matter the color of your skin—white, Black, or other…Nothing can break us because we think the same way and we want to establish and accomplish. That’s why we must come together, so we can fight and be strong. That’s why I try to make them look like they’re one person.”^iv

 

 

"My work reflects my love for textiles with a silk-screening approach and my commitment to capturing black bodies in the abstract – one as reflection of the other."
—Emmanuel Taku

 

The Three Damsels showcases Taku’s signature silkscreen approach, in which he designs the floral pattern of the figures’ clothes on the computer before transferring it onto canvas. Deriving from his longstanding passion for textiles, the design seen here references the significant role that patterned fabrics have played in the history of identity in African culture as well as in his personal life. As the artist expressed, “The use of floral paisley prints comes from my personal fascination with the pattern and fabric that has always been a part of my life since youth—whether as tablecloth or in garments. I also felt that paisley represents a melting pot of cultural identity.”^v As illustrated by his reveal of The Three Damsels in progress on Instagram, the artist transforms the earthy palette of the silkscreened clothing into an ethereal purple through his painterly application, adding layers of abstraction as a means to “reclaim dominant narratives about black bodies and to reject their objectification.”^vi Taku furthers this investigation in the present work by collaging magazine and newspaper clippings onto the skin of his figures, which for him “captures the essence of the power of the press as custodians of truth” and functions as a device to subvert stereotypes of Black representation in the media.^vii

 

 

"I remember watching Man of Steel and Superman, and when they get to that level of power, their pupils vanish and they have white eyes. To me, it signifies strength."
—Emmanuel Taku

Based on Taku’s fascination with Superman since his youth, his pupil-less Black figures embody the essence of power and strength—superhero style. “This body of work came to me as an idea when I heard John Akomfrah speak about his experience as a child referring to museums capturing artwork by Turner and Constable as a ‘Temple of Whiteness,” Taku elucidated of works such as The Three Damsels. “I just remembered how that clicked for me and I truly wanted to create my own ‘Temple of Blackness’ capturing black people as demi-gods or heroes without pupils or eyes: unapproachable splendor.”^viii By portraying his figures as supernatural characters, the present work reflects Taku’s elevation of the Black subject in the Western art historical canon, transforming historically politicized bodies to those of potent reverence.

 

Collector’s Digest

 

• In 2020, Taku became the pilot artist in residence for the Noldor Artist Residence, Ghana’s first independent artist residency. Maruani Mercier announced its worldwide representation of Taku and his first solo show with the gallery in April 2021, soon followed by the artist’s solo exhibition at the M Art Foundation, Shanghai that November. In a November 2021 interview, Taku revealed he is preparing for two solo shows forthcoming this year.

• Phillips achieved Taku’s current world auction record in March 2022 in London, when Sisters in Lilac achieved £214,200 ($282,996), soaring over 10 times the work’s estimate. The present work marks the artist’s Evening Sale auction debut with Phillips.

ⁱ Laurent Mercier, “Emmanuel Taku,” Maruani Mercier, 2021, online.
ⁱⁱ Ibid.
ⁱⁱⁱ Emmanuel Taku, quoted in Cristina Samper, “Feel Hypnotised with the Gaze and Clothes in Emannuel Taku’s Subjects,” Art of Choice, June 28, 2021.
^iv Emmanuel Taku, quoted in Freya Drohan, “God Amongst Men! How Emmanuel Taku is Reclaiming Black Identity in his Acclaimed Artwork,” Daily Front Row Magazine, November 30, 2021, online.
^v Emmanuel Taku, quoted in Cristina Samper, “Feel Hypnotised with the Gaze and Clothes in Emannuel Taku’s Subjects,” Art of Choice, June 28, 2021.
^vi “Emmanuel Taku,” Maruani Mercier, 2021, online.
^vii Emmanuel Taku, quoted in conversation with Danielle Gorodenzik, “Joseph Awuah-Darko and Emmanuel Taku Interviewed by Africa First,” Africa First, February 24, 2021, online.

^viii Emmanuel Taku, quoted in Cristina Samper, “Feel Hypnotised with the Gaze and Clothes in Emannuel Taku’s Subjects,” Art of Choice, June 28, 2021.