cross-cultural pollination

After reading “Radiance of the King” by Donald Cosentino, I believe that the paintings are examples of “ambassadors of cross-cultural pollination.” These paintings are praise portraits and visual narratives on flour sack canvas; the style of painting originated from 90’s Ghanaian Pop artists.  These new paintings where Barack Obama is the central figure were portrayals of the relationship of Ghanaian artists’ ideas of Barack Obama from what they had heard and seen about him through the media and also their own interpretation of their thoughts of who he is and their “yearnings” of what they want him to be. The paintings were then collected and brought to the Ernie Wolfe Gallery in West Los Angeles, California. These paintings are clear representations of "cross-cultural pollination" due to their content.

Other art that would fit into this category are the Ghanaian Akan textiles of adinkra which feature the andinkra stamps of President Obama, or President John F. Kennedy, and also the wax resists featuring modern technology such as buses and cell phones. These textiles are constructed in a traditional way, but incorporate subjects of modernity. West African funerary art is also influenced by Christian mausoleums and graveyards by placing African sculptures as the headstone or using coffins that are animal or object shaped.