By: Karl Furlong

At the end of a dead-end street, directly across from a tiny scrap of land bursting with corn in East Legon is the Nubuke Gallery. This long rectangular concrete and glass edifice sitting on the outskirts of Accra looks to have been transported from L.A. or Berlin. Hovering over the lush green grounds, the gallery is delicately balanced on a series of slim blocks: from the street, it seems to float just above the high fence that surrounds the grounds.

Completed in 2019, and designed by architect Baerbel Mueller, the structure sits next to the original gallery which now serves as the administrative offices and gift shop. The grounds also house a quaint café that serves lunch, fresh juice, and coffee – real coffee – making it my new favorite place to hang out in Accra.

I could sit at one of the gallery’s picnic tables all day just staring at Mueller’s artistry. Her ability to delicately place such an unrefined, brutalist structure into this landscape and make it seem perfectly at home is as impressive as the artwork it houses.

The beauty of the gallery is only part of the reason I’m here. It is an art gallery, after all.

Nubuke’s current exhibit is by Nigerian artist Cecilia Lamptey-Botchway. Titled Make We Dance, it runs till August 31 (and yes, it’s “we” not “me.”) Lamptey-Botchway is a Nigerian artist,and her medium is acrylic on canvas with textiles (floor mop strands) stamped on to the painted surface.

Navigating through the gallery is a simple affair. After climbing a single set of stairs tucked under the building you enter a long,rectangular room. The floors, walls, and ceiling are all unfinished concrete and are perfectly suited for the vibrant paintings displayed throughout the space.

Accra is a city of extremes: shacks made of wood and corrugated steel sit beside imposing mansions of concrete and glass; street vendors hawking soil-stained paintings are just down the street from galleries with $10,000 masterpieces; American style malls sit opposite open-air markets; and street food is available on every intersection within yelling distance of family restaurants serving food from around the world.

This city pushes and pulls at the heart of the visitor: every time I am confronted with how hard and unforgiving life can be for Accra’s residents, I am quickly offered up an example of what makes this place so special. Nubuke Gallery is just the most recent case in point.