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Friday, March 29, 2024
NEWS  |  CAMPUS

UF alum co-curates Ghana fashion exhibit now open at the Harn

<p>Mannequins wearing examples of Ghanaian fashion stand in one of the exhibit rooms in the Harn Museum of Art.</p>

Mannequins wearing examples of Ghanaian fashion stand in one of the exhibit rooms in the Harn Museum of Art.

Ghana’s vibrant, patterned textiles are on display at UF’s Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art with help from a UF alumnus.  

UF graduate Christopher Richards co-curated the Kabas and Couture: Contemporary Ghanaian Fashion exhibit, which opened Tuesday and will run until Aug. 23.

The exhibit showcases the work of five contemporary Ghanaian designers and has an interactive component where visitors can try on traditional Ghanaian garments called kabas and take pictures.

Richards, who graduated in August with a doctorate degree in art history with a focus on African art, did his dissertation on Ghanaian fashion. He brought the exhibit to the Harn to challenge misconceptions of African cultures.

“We hear so much bad news about the African continent, and I want people to see that African countries are not only negative,” Richards said.

Richards said Kabas and Couture explores the history of African fashion, beginning with the traditional kente and transitioning to modern Ghanaian designers like Aisha Ayensu, who created the Christie Brown brand and has designed for Beyoncé and Alicia Keys.

The exhibit reflects the idea that fashion has a real presence in Africa, said Susan Cooksey, co-curator of the exhibit and curator of African art at the Harn.

“You may not see all of these (designers) in Paris runways, but before too long you will,” Cooksey said.

Richards said he plans to send the exhibition to institutions across the nation.

“I want people to see just a taste of what I experienced,” he said, “just to look at an African country in a new way.”

[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 2/25/2015 under the headline “UF alum co-curates Ghana fashion exhibit now open at the Harn”]

Mannequins wearing examples of Ghanaian fashion stand in one of the exhibit rooms in the Harn Museum of Art.

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