The project “Man For Chop” is a collaboration between the artist Natalija Gormalova, AfroDistrict - creative collective that aims at breaking stereotypes and changing perceptions of Africa through visual storytelling, punk tailors Art Comes First and the Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey, who uses recycled materials in his work. The literal meaning of the title is “Man Needs to Eat to Survive”- one needs to hustle to make a living, which forces people to create masks or false identities to fit into the system. For this series, Serge Attukwei Clottey has created masks from old baseball gloves, a sport synonymous with the west, to comment on the precarious balance felt by African creatives in the desire to succeed without having to assimilate with western culture. In this project AfroDistrict considers ideas of Ghanaian identity and belonging. “Man for Chop” explores how African culture and stories have been taken away from them through colonization and slavery, and whether they are now ready to reshape this narrative and regain their identities as Africans. “Masks are hiding our identities but not our true selves".
NATALIJA GORMALOVA
Natalija Gormalova is a photographer and filmmaker based in Accra, Ghana.