At present, the practice is in an early stage of development, founded upon the core beliefs of the naming tradition found within Ghanaian communities, but by no means solely limited to, of such focus in the significance of a name. The desire is not to centre on reencountering identity instead, the objective is to decipher the volume of issues that are caused by the deceptive sense of a lost* identity at the mercy of untraceable pasts.
Due to the inextricably bound legacies of the; British Empire, Second Republic of Ghana, Commonwealth of Nations, etc. the traditional two generational cycle of the Lante D(j/z)an We has been broken and therefore predicates the existence of the ‘third’ generation.
Currently, the questions being asked are: How does an underprepared ‘third’ generation choose to honour tradition whilst simultaneously creating a ‘fourth’ and reprising to the ‘first’? Who and why do we choose a select some to bear the weight of decision making despite their capacity for lucidity? What is our right to admonish public err for those leading us on the uncharted path? And so on...
Transparency is present although no explanation is owed.
Succintly, the practice is to uncover some of what has been omitted* and pivoted from, in the wake of pyrrhic victories, through a focus in research, experiential & experimental curation, and chiefly by artistic creation in order to move forward.
Eli-Caleb Ivor Lawson-Adamah - born to Ivy Koshie Lawson & Sampson Kofi Adamah, in Oct. 1999.
Grandson of George Ivor Nii’Djan Lawson & Kwaley Quartey,
GREAT Grandson of Henry Joseph Odartey-Kwashie Lawson & Beatrice Armarchoe Armarfio,
and GREAT^2 Grandson of Lantei Lawson (Nii Lantei Comporsu) & Teterley Nukpa.
Ivor does not come from an artistic background, mostly being self-taught, he made the decision to seek refuge in the arts after a change in direction from a corporal, verging on capital, path. He spent his early years in Croydon, London but often visting family in Bow & Leyton, and grew up mostly in Peterborough, after a brief period in Accra, Ghana. He moved back to South London, at 19, following a year of studying a foundation art diploma at Stamford College in Lincolnshire to pursue ambitions for working in the creative industry.
In his early teenage years he discovered a love for image making and visual arts, through photography, by way of a close friend - Sean Dendere & family. Now with over ten years of experience with his first craft, Ivor is continuing to develop his journey through the exploration of other mediums, art forms, and instruments all guided by the central focus of his practice.
He works as a creative director alongside Erin Corrian-Alexis through Working Studio, and also as creative consultant & commissioner for FAMM (an indpendent music label home to artists such as; Jorja Smith, Maverick Sabre, Demae, etc.)
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