House of Prosperity, 2023
Acrylic on canvas, wood, and gambit seeds (cowrie shells)
43 x 54 in.
109.2 x 137.2 cm
House of Prosperity tells a tale of Liberian culture. The painting is as layered as the history that begins with the pre-colonial Pepper Coast, moves through the presence of African American settlers, and ends with a post-war Liberia. During each of these moments, Liberia’s cultural traditions have been celebrated, scrutinized, adapted, and dismissed amidst tensions between frameworks on and enforcements of “civilization and modernity.” Abu Fofana centers the painting around a government building with Liberia’s coat of arms that reads, “The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here.”
In a larger version of this painting, on view at the National Museum of Liberia, the indigenous Liberian masks that Fofana paints are imaged crying over what this love of liberty brought upon the country. The absence of tears in this version suggests a revitalized hope around these promises and fulfillments on the eve of Liberia’s 2023 presidential election. Despite mindsets and processes that continue to deter the prosperity of Liberian indigeneity, many Liberians continue to uphold the country’s heritage. Fofana surrounds the painting with the masks of each of Liberia’s indigenous tribes, displaying a unified commitment to preservation.