Deadly Prey Gallery, Coming to Richmond
During my freshman year of college, one of my dorm roommates was from Ghana. He always watched bootleg African DVDs, especially one called Tears from Nancy. (I never stuck around long enough to find out why Nancy was so sad and who upset her.) All the films had a B-movie, low-budget vibe—but with their own style in a way. That was my first introduction to Ghana’s movie industry, and I can tell you from first-hand experience that they love their films.
Ghana also has a deep appreciation for Western movies and TV. One art studio, Deadly Prey Gallery, pays homage to Hollywood — both classic and modern works. Based in Chicago but working with 10 artists in and around Accra, Ghana, the collective is dedicated to preserving the tradition of hand-painted movie posters that started in the country during the 80s.
Their archive is a one-of-a-kind collection of thousands of posters spanning over 30 years. Someone on Reddit described the art as, “bizarre and oddly terrifying.” Agreed. My favorite part? The bold artistic liberties, like giving Kevin McAllister a hand gun (???) in their poster work for Home Alone. If Kevin actually had a pew pew, the Wet Bandits wouldn’t have been around for the sequel.
I think everyone gets a gun in their posters (?). Deadly Prey Gallery will be in Richmond for a one-night-only pop-up this Friday at Pamplemousse Gallery. See you there!