Atlas 

Alfred Conteh’s ‘Atlas’ is made with acrylics on canvas, with a rough texture almost like a wall. Conteh’s images are about the everyday lives of Black men, rendered with a directness that can be almost confrontational. The orange ground of this painting has a weathered quality, as if it has been baked by the sun. On this surface, Conteh has created a striking image of a man crouching, accompanied by the lower half of another figure standing. The subjects, who are colored in muted blue tones, are both clad in contemporary clothing. Conteh is not striving for photographic realism here, but a more visceral effect. The subjects are both literally and figuratively grounded. Their bodies are weighted and strong, yet also vulnerable. The artist uses the contrast between the cracked surface and the figures to convey a sense of tension and resilience. In this way, Conteh elevates the everyday, pushing against the traditional hierarchies of fine art.