PLATFORM 33: Zohra Opoku, Self-Portraits
PLATFORM 33 presents Zohra Opoku’s ongoing *Self-Portraits*, a series of photographs in which the artist partially conceals her face behind plants. Installed across deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, the project includes one large billboard and five smaller signs, placing Opoku’s images among the park’s native and introduced plant life. The works explore identity, belonging, camouflage, migration, and the relationship between people and the landscapes they call home.
Born in East Germany and based in Accra, Ghana, Opoku works with textiles, photography, and printmaking. Her artistic perspective is shaped by her move to her father’s home country in 2003 and by her efforts to connect with her African heritage. She developed this body of work through encounters with plants in California, Germany, and Accra, observing that many of the plants she encountered were themselves brought from elsewhere. The largest image, *Sassa*, takes its name from a spirit associated with Asante religion and culture and shows Opoku nearly vanishing into the surrounding vegetation.
When: October 5, 2024–August 1, 2027
Showtimes: On view during deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum visiting hours.
Tickets: Included with admission.
Venue: deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, 51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln, MA 01773
Installation: One large-scale billboard and five smaller signs are distributed throughout the Sculpture Park.
Works featured: The installation includes images from Opoku’s *Self-Portraits* series, including *Pyracantha* (2016–ongoing), *Rhododendron* (2016–ongoing), and *Ficus Carica* (2015–ongoing). The works are made with wood and aluminum composite.
Artist: Zohra Opoku was born in 1976 in Altdöbern, in the former East Germany, and lives and works in Accra, Ghana. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Kunsthaus Hamburg, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Palais Populaire in Berlin, and the Centre for Contemporary Art Lagos. Her work is held in collections including Centre Pompidou, the Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Royal Ontario Museum, and Tate Modern.
Series: PLATFORM is deCordova’s program of one-person commissions by emerging and mid-career artists from New England and around the world. The projects respond to the museum’s distinctive landscape and encourage new approaches to contemporary sculpture and public art.