If you spend enough time online, you’ve almost certainly encountered those bootleg movie posters that depict a film’s themes and characters in oft-incorrect, usually comically violent ways. This iconic and all-around awesome style of commercial art originated in Ghana and was especially prevalent in the 1980s and ’90s as a means of promoting films being shown at makeshift cinemas in the west African nation.
Though technological advances have made mainstream movies far more accessible to Ghanaians, the bootleg poster culture has thankfully persisted and continues well into the 21st century. One such purveyor of Ghanaian movie posters is Deadly Prey, a Chicago-based traveling art gallery that’s “dedicated to the preservation of hand-painted Ghanian movie posters, with the central focus being supporting the incredible artists currently painting them.”
The gallery partners with 10 artists in the Accra Region of Ghana to commission incomparable paintings related to popular movies, TV shows, and other popular culture touchstones. Guns and gore are common, and rampant artistic liberties are taken in some of the best ways imaginable. Those paintings, as well as prints of said posters, books, and more are made available for purchase, with “100% of the profits going to the artist.”
That brings us to the upcoming Deadly Prey Pop-up Gallery that’s coming to Milwaukee this month. Yes, on Sunday, May 31, the Charles Allis Art Museum (1801 N. Prospect Ave.) will be hosting an event that will showcase more than 200 of these “original, life-size, hand-painted” pieces in our city for the very first time. Even better yet, Deadly Prey will be selling prints on-site, allowing you to bring recreations of film-focused Ghanaian art home at a fair price. Dibs on the Cheers, E.T., and American Movie posters! The free event runs from 6-10 p.m. and is open to the public. We will 100% see you there. [h/t – Josh]