The Sankofa Series: Ghanaian Reflections on African/American Identities

Photography by Stanley Lumax and Larry Ossei-Mensah

Presented by Up South, Inc.

Opening Reception: March 30, 2008, 3-6pm

Ghanian-American photographers Stanley Lumax and Larry Ossei-Mensah present reflections of their African/American Identities with New Photography Exhibition: The Sankofa Series

Brooklyn, New York - The Gallery at Harriet's Alter Ego and Up South, Inc., is ecstatic to present the latest photography exhibition The Sankofa Series: Ghanaian Reflections on African/American Identities. The two-man exhibition will open at The Gallery on March 30, the reception will be from 3-6pm. Presented in part with Up South, Inc., The Sankofa Series exhibition is inspired by the exploration and reconnection to the Ghanian heritage of American-born photographers Stanley Lumax and Larry Ossei-Mensah.

The Sankofa Series was produced separately on two continents, Stanley's images were produced during a series of visits to Ghana in 2007 and 2008. After 24 years of self-imposed exile, Stanley returned to Ghana in 2007 after being inspired by images from a South African photography exhibition. Stanley credits this moment for his reconnecting to Ghana, which has added to his definition of identify and manhood and has clarified his responsibilities. "Becoming a man was about more than finishing school, starting a family and having a secure job." explains Stanley, who was born in Plainfield, New Jersey to Ghanaian immigrants. "It was about acknowledging my heritage and realizing the need to sustain my family's legacy." Most of Stanley's work was shot in Cape Coast, Accra and the Volta Region city of Keta of Ghana.

Larry Ossei-Mensah, a recent graduate of Les Roches School of Hotel Management, Bluche, Switzerland with an MBA, explains The Sankofa Series as such, *This show is primarily about self reflection. The desire to understand who we are as Africans seeking to identify and truly understand our self and our culture." Larry's approach to this investigation was mostly stateside. His camera takes an exploratory journey in Harlem, USA , a community he describes as a bastion of hope for Africans seeking a better life. The lens of "Young Global: America the African Dream" is what Larry has titled the body of work to be included in the Sankofa Series. Born and raised in the Bronx, Larry has established himself in the advertising and marketing world, holding positions stateside and abroad, most currently as a marketing consultant for an upscale interior design firm.

The usage of the word Sankofa is relevant to the exhibition and the photographers in that Sankofa is a word from the Akan language. Spoken primarily by the Asante people of Ghana, this particular language expresses it's proverbs with a number of symbols. These symbols are called Andrinka symbols and the symbol of Sankofa looks similar to a heart with curled hooks at the point. The meaning of Sankofa is to return back to the past capture what is good and incorporate it into the present. Stanley and Larry being of Ghanaian heritage decided to hone into this particular philosophical method of expression because is relates to their heritage as well as it speaks to the desire to deeply understand their African-American identity. The inspiration for Stanley was going back to his roots after being away from Ghana for 25 years. "We all need to look at ourselves and our roots in order attain a better understanding of the responsibility incumbent upon us (all people of African decent) to move the diaspora forward to usher in a true renaissance.," explains Larry.

Both photographers have been influenced by master photographer Gordon Parks. Stanley began shooting as a child with a 110 film camera. His undergrad professor of Temple University, Dr.Trayes added to his then budding passion. Stanley was hired by basketball company AND1 to travel the country shooting games for two years. As luck would have it, he ended up as an account executive at advertising firm Wieden + Kennedy, working on Nike, Stanley got his first major opportunity to share his work on a larger scale. He was asked to shoot 80% percent of a basketball campaign that featured outdoor billboards, subway advertising, phone booth kiosks digital and newspaper ads. He has been the sole photographer for "The City is Watching" campaign for the last three years.

Larry's music photography series has been used by Blue Note. His Young Global blog as followers in the thousands and is highlighted on a regular basis by national media outlets.

As a partnering organization Up South, Inc., (http://www.upsouthinternationalbookfestival.com/) will present The Sankofa Series as part of their pre-festival events. The mission of Up South is to celebrate and promote literary and artistic work by established and emerging international artists of color, particularly those underrepresented in mainstream media. The Up South International Book Festival has presented the literary and artistic work of a diverse array of legendary, established and emerging talents. These artists have ranged from luminaries such as Ruby Dee, Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Faith Ringgold to budding supernovas like Anthony David, Jason Moran, Shahrnush Parsipur, Elizabeth Nunez and Leela James. Whether new or experienced all of the participants of the Up South International Book Festival are active contributors to the cultural legacy Up South cultivates and preserves.

The Sankofa Series: Ghanaian Reflections on African/American Identities opens on March 30, 2008, 3-6pm. The Gallery at Harriet's Alter Ego is located at 293 Flatbush Avenue between Park Place and Prospect Place. B, Q trains to 7th Ave, 2,3, trains to Bergen Street. Visit The Gallery on the web at http://www.harrietsalteregoonline.com/ or call 718.783.2074