On 16th August 2020, My Runway Group and Tate collective began their exciting series: Home is where the Art is that “collides the worlds of art and well being”. Running for 5 weeks, it features five black emerging artists: Koby Martin, Emmanuel Unaji, Midichi, Sarah Owusu and Tej Butler. Each of whom, having chosen a theme, ranging from overcoming anxiety to mastering consistency, showcase their talents in a live paint on a Sunday afternoon, followed by a live Q and A Monday evening.
The first artist under the spotlight was Ghanaian born Koby Martin, who now having completed 9 solo exhibitions in London, has demonstrated that he is a master of exhibitions. Each one fully immerses his audience in his world of colour and texture, with each viewing of a body of canvases being like taking a 360 degree look at the inside of his soul at a moment in time. The collection being a piece in itself, each canvas inextricable from each other. From his first solo exhibition ‘How it was’ which highlighted how his Ghanaian heritage and music had influenced his work, I knew he was someone to watch. The exhibition was much more than a viewing of art work.
The visual journey took me deep into the heart of his identity, whilst the accompanying musical soundtrack carried me closer to the core of his raison d'etre, whilst I bopped my head to the beats of Hip hop and poly rhythms of Hi-life. It was a magical moment, being stood in front of a piece of work with headphones on, playing a track that was transporting you into the mind of the artist. With each exhibition, the live experience got better as Koby matured and his craft sharpened, possessing the ability to enchant us in order to draw us further into his world.
In 2018, after having followed his journey, I saw a shift in his career, as his work began to articulate more strongly the depths of his experiences. In his cathartic collection Asiamah, Koby bore his soul, opening up about the grief he had experienced due to the transitioning of his father. The homage to his late father was a vulnerable moment so delicately and bravely shared with all who chose to view it. Never before have I been so close to tears standing in an art gallery like I did there. The passion and pain-relief lingered in the air creating a haunting yet, purifying atmosphere. In that space surrounded by images of infernos of the heart, juxtaposed with the dove white of freedom and peace, I was forced to reflect on my life, gaining an awareness of my blessings. This brave and raw exposure of his grief, which I’m sure healed many of his fans, was just the start of the powerful display of his exploration of his deeper, more darker emotional experiences.
In 2019 with ‘What my I’s have seen’, Koby cleverly allowed his viewers to connect with the subjects of his portraits on a deep level, despite the fact that their eyes (windows to the soul) were concealed by a protective hand. The shielding hand motif seen in all of the pieces in this collection, highlighted a very natural human reaction to life’s parasites: fear, disappointment, uncertainty, grief etc, which can at times infiltrate the soul. That tendency to not want to face these things head on, to protect oneself or pretend it’s not there. In viewing these pieces, again, I was confronted by the realities of such turmoil of the mind.
Having been so affected by Koby’s prior work and having watched him evolve, and recently experiment with collage and image transfer, I was sure to free my diary and reserve enough data to watch his live painting: Overcoming Anxiety. (Unlike in the UK, data in The Seychelles is not limitless or cheap).
The piece he was working on for the live looked like it could fit perfectly into the ‘What my I’s have seen’ collection. The canvas had been coated with a vibrant emerald layer of paint and splattered with islands of a bright lemony yellow , which surrounded a black male, who sported a pink tinted mini manicured afro. The man’s hand was covering his face, in what seemed like anguish, giving him an air of despondency. In the top right hand corner was the iconic image of Jesus Christ that we have become familiar with all around the world. The session hadn’t even started, but my synapses were already starting to gently crescendo like a high hat signaling the start of a textured jazz number. Questions were forming fast.
As the live began, we were treated to the glorious view of London that Koby's work space is blessed with and the sounds of chilled jazz music. After introducing himself, the work and the theme, he began building the colour of the long sleeve roll neck worn by the man, who had been painted prior to the start of the live stream. Using white and grey acrylic he dressed the man in the smart casual top. He was deep in the zone and I was entranced by the movement of his brush and the stress extinguishing tones of the background music.
Once this was completed he used what looked like pastel or charcoal to create perfectly formed circles for polka dots. The skill and precision was very evident. Each circle was perfectly formed and not a pair of compasses in sight. As his instrument floated across the canvas, following the melodies of the music in the background, Koby pondered about what colour to use for the polka dots. He chose a bold red. The choice seemed to be somewhat spontaneous and not too deeply thought through. However, based on how the work was automatically elevated, giving the character of the subject more depth, I’m sure there was some reasoning, even if not conscious. This black man now, not only had pink hair but also, wore a white roll neck with bright red spots; a bold statement for any man, but arguably more so for a black man. So many questions in this instance popped off in my head about the identity of the man, and the source of his despair.
Thinking of Rachel Zoe’s famous quote ‘Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.’ I wondered what Koby was trying to say about this man in his colour choices here? What did he want us to feel or think about him? How did he think this would help us to relate to the man?
Desperate to have some questions answered, I threw some out into the live feed chat, even though I knew I risked breaking Koby out of the trance like state that the act of painting had induced. It seems like I wasn't the only curious viewer, questions continued to fly changing this from a guilty act of voyeurism to an interactive dialogue and learning experience. There were questions about the symbolism of the work, the gesture of the subject, the colours on the canvas and the imagery of Jesus Christ. He was even asked about whether his relationship with God and Christianity is challenged by how potential collectors my negatively it's prevalence in his work to which he nicely answered 'What's art without opinions?' .
As the discussion developed Koby revealed that he had synesthesia:a neurological condition in which information meant to stimulate one of your senses stimulates several of your sense, with his viewing of colours stimulating his other senses. Essentially it’s like he sees and feels the world in colours. This, I felt , explained to me why despite the fact that his canvases spoke volumes and told stories with infinite chapters peppered with multilayered metaphors, his answers to the questions about colour choices didn't allude to a calculated or even conscious decision. One could therefore assume that choosing a colour to convey a particular emotion would be something that came effortlessly to him, without presumed thought- a process innate in him. This then perfectly explains why maybe he wasn’t so easily able to articulate in the moment the choice of a colour. It had just happened almost instantaneously, I can infer. Something I'd like to probe him on if ever I got the chance to. Either way, what a great gift to possess as an artist!
As the journey continued, and I watched Koby two stepping to hi-life classic Palm wine, unable to maintain his focus as he was stroked by the taste of home that had awakened new senses, I felt my smile widen. I knew that feeling. With each brush stoke and the introduction of each song from the Versesnthesis playlist that included musical geniuses like Alfa Mist, Yussef Dayes and Rex Omar, I felt my heart lighten. As many people added in the comments, this instagram live was so nourishing to the soul, and it was very evident My Runway Group, Tate, and Koby Martin had perfectly illustrated how art could be used as a cathartic tool to overcome anxiety.
Excitement for the Q and A session gently built as the live painting ended.
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