We are delighted to share that Godfried Donkor has been featured in a recent article in The New World, exploring his solo exhibition It's a Numbers Game, at Firstsite, Colchester.
The article considers how Donkor uses collage to bring archival photographs, newspaper pages and contemporary imagery into the same frame. From the pink pages of the Financial Times to Ghanian symbols, European heraldry and African textiles, these layered works connect histories across Britain, West Africa and the Caribbean while challenging conventional historical narratives.
Particular attention is given to the exhibition's exploration of commerce, slavery, masculinity and sport. Donkor's boxers are presented not as victims but as heroic figures, while his depictions of boxing gyms in Jamestown, Accra, transform humble spaces into temples of ambition. Footballers also appear crowned with gold-leaf haloes, reflecting the intersections between sport, worship and the continuing struggle for racial equality.
By bringing archival imagery into dialogue with contemporary financial news, Donkor's work reveals the enduring links between empire, commerce and art. As the article observes, "The beauty of his work only sharpens its uncompromising social critique."
We are grateful to Lucy Ash for this thoughtful reflection on Donkor's practice and the histories, materials and visual languages brought together in It's a Numbers Game.
