Ludu 2020

Editor: We're looking at "Ludu," a 2020 oil painting by Cornelius Annor, depicting a family gathered around a Ludu board game. What strikes me is the juxtaposition of everyday domesticity with what seems like carefully chosen, almost symbolic, objects. What do you see here? Curator: It's interesting you mention that. I see a conscious staging of objects reflecting the socio-economic realities embedded within the domestic space. The fan, for example, points to the materiality of modern life as experienced in specific locales. Consider the labor involved in its production, its global journey, its ultimate consumption in this very room. The same with the board game itself – a mass-produced object mediating family interactions. Editor: So, you're saying the painting is less about the individuals and more about these…objects and what they represent in the material world? Curator: Not "less about," but inseparable from them. The painting invites us to think about how these commodities shape their lives and the spaces they inhabit. Look at the way the fabric of the couch mirrors aspects of the board game; these design elements speak volumes about the intersection of cultural expression and the accessibility of certain manufactured goods. And what of the clothing they wear? Editor: That’s true, the prevalence of synthetic fabrics speaks to material conditions...it changes how I think about the narrative element now. It becomes a broader commentary. Curator: Precisely. By examining the materiality within this depicted domestic scene, Annor compels us to think critically about labor, consumption, and the very fabric of contemporary life, woven together through objects. Editor: I see that. I was so focused on the game itself, and the family, that I missed how much those other elements contribute. Thank you for pointing that out. Curator: My pleasure. Considering these material elements really opens up the painting's capacity for cultural storytelling.