tickets, rather than any strict adherence to truth in advertising. The posters were not copied, they weren’t perfect, and they may not have made sense, but, as Chankin puts it: “That’s less important than the call and response created by the artwork, and its unique ability to cause the viewer to ask more questions than the artist or video club might have answers to”. Back in Chicago, Chankin was running Odd Obsession Movies, providing access to films that were difficult or impossible to find in Chicago, or indeed the US. One day in 2011, his friend walked in with the Ghanavision book, and it was a moment he’s never forgotten: “I’d never seen anything like them! I was both confused and enlightened in the same breath. Everything was over the top: tons of guns, snakes, skulls, demons. Everything somehow made sense in not making sense; even though many of the titles I already knew, something was definitely off with the interpretation, which of course fascinated me more.” Chankin was keen to learn more about the posters and found a website with photos of paintings for sale. The site was run by Robert Kofi in Accra and, soon after making contact, a shipment of paintings were on their way to Chicago. What Chankin didn’t know at this stage was that Kofi had worked in the mobile cinema game in the 1990s, and knew many of the poster artists from that time. After the posters arrived, Chankin put them up in the video shop and, sure enough, they caught the attention of customers. Before long, they were being Websites: www.bl.ag and www.ghostsigns.co.uk customers, and the painters earned more from these commissions than their regular sign and artistic work. The team quickly had a viable business on their hands, which eventually led to Chankin closing Odd Obsession Movies to focus on what they named Deadly Prey Gallery (Deadly Prey is a low-budget action film. It’s something of a cult classic in American film circles. However, it was a ‘blockbuster’ for the Ghanaian Mobile Cinemas, and a favourite of both Chankin and Kofi). Things accelerated even further when they expanded into prints, t-shirts, and other merchandise. These allow customers with smaller budgets to buy a piece of this unique artform, with all the profits going directly to the relevant artists. At its core, Deadly Prey Gallery exists to promote and sustain the work of Ghanaian artists by commissioning new work and merchandising it for their benefit. The narrative that previously surrounded the film posters was one of scarcity, and it is true that original paintings from the heyday of the video clubs are relatively rare. However, as Chankin points out, “a myth was perpetuated that the artists somehow faded into obscurity”. This benefited the collectors and dealers, but only disenfranchised the artists themselves. The reality is that many of these artists continued to work long after the demise of the video clubs. Deadly Prey Gallery has once again given them a canvas to flex this particular creative muscle, bringing back an artform and putting it into the hands of thousands around the world. ▲ [L to R] Yodas by Magasco, The Matrix by C.A. Wisely, and The Muppets by Leonardo 37 Issue 252 - April / May 2024 email: news@signlink.co.uk ADVENTURES IN SIGN PAINTING WITH SAM ROBERTS offered for sale, and then the floodgates opened when Kofi confirmed that new posters could be painted on commission. Deadly Prey Gallery Initially working with just a handful of artists, Chankin and Kofi’s partnership quickly expanded to a roster of ten. Chankin likens Kofi’s role to that of the former video club operators: briefing the artists, and making the creative magic happen on the ground in Ghana. It was a win-win for all involved as Chankin sought out new ▼ Salavtion working on a poster for Gleaming The Cube
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