BEYOND THE STREETS PRESENTS VHS Dreams: The Art of Ghana’s Mobile Cinema
VHS Dreams: The Art of Ghana’s Mobile Cinema
Curated by Deadly Prey Gallery • Opens Friday, July 11 6-9PM
BEYOND THE STREETS presents VHS Dreams: The Art of Ghana’s Mobile Cinema — an immersive celebration of Ghana’s hand-painted movie poster tradition and the remarkable artists who have kept this form alive for over three decades. This exhibition showcases one of the largest collections of original, hand-painted Ghanaian movie posters ever shown in a single space—each one a riot of color, imagination and cinematic energy. These works, often painted on recycled flour sacks, are bold, unfiltered reinterpretations of global cinema, rendered with stunning individuality by master painters from Accra and beyond. They evoke connections to traditions of sign painting, agitprop art and street-based visual culture of the region.
Born from necessity and fueled by creativity, the Ghanaian movie poster tradition emerged in the 1980s alongside the rise of the country’s mobile cinema culture. Armed with a television, a VCR, and a gas-powered generator, mobile video club operators would bring action, horror, kung fu and West African films to villages without electricity—transforming public spaces into impromptu screening rooms. Without access to offset printing technologies for advertising, they turned to local artists to create hand-painted posters to promote each showing. These artists—many of whom are still working today—were tasked with interpreting often unfamiliar films through instinct, flair and the occasional exaggeration. This resulted in wildly inventive visuals that could feature oversized guns, surreal monsters, or extra limbs where there were none.
The posters in this exhibition are not reproductions—they are original, one-of-a-kind paintings made over the past 30 years, created by a multigenerational group of Ghanaian artists including Mark Anthony, Leonardo, Bright Obeng, Heavy J, H.K. Matthias, Farkira, Magasco, C.A. Wisely, Mr. Nana Agyq, Nii Bi Ashitey, Salvation, Stoger and more. Each piece reflects not only the genre and subject of the films they represent, but also the individual personality and imagination of the artist. These posters blur the line between advertising and fine art, and serve as cultural documents of both Ghana’s creative economy and the global impact of cinema. The posters are both idiosyncratic and compelling—paintings that operated simultaneously as advertisement, translation, parody and imaginative embellishment. In many ways, these posters embody what art historian Olu Oguibe has called a “postcolonial visuality”—an aesthetic strategy shaped by improvisation, hybridity, and cultural adaptation.[1] These artworks resist easy classification within Euro-American art historical taxonomies, instead speaking to local systems of patronage, community engagement, and oral storytelling traditions that have long sustained West African visual practice.
All of the works in VHS Dreams are available for purchase, offering collectors a rare opportunity to take home a piece of this extraordinary exhibition. Each poster is a one-of-a-kind hand-painted artwork. Each artwork purchased and taken home by a collector opens space for a new piece to enter the exhibition, transforming the show into a dynamic, ever-changing presentation that reflects the expansive creative output of the artists. Visitors are encouraged not only to experience the cultural significance of these pieces, but also to support the artists and help preserve the legacy of Ghana’s mobile cinema tradition.
Deadly Prey Gallery was founded in 2012 by Robert Kofi Ghartey in Accra, Ghana, and Brian Chankin in Chicago, USA. The gallery is dedicated to preserving and promoting Ghana’s vibrant tradition of hand-painted movie posters—artworks originally created to advertise mobile cinema screenings in the 1980s and ’90s. Robert’s journey began as a child in Ghana, working as a “poster boy” to earn free movie admission. Brian’s passion for obscure cinema led him to collect these posters and eventually meet Robert. Their partnership now supports a collective of Ghanaian artists by commissioning new works and producing prints, books, and merchandise, with profits going directly to the artists. Deadly Prey Gallery shines a light on the artists’ stories, ensuring their creative legacy is seen, celebrated, and sustained around the world.
This exhibition is more than a look back—it’s a living, evolving tribute to a powerful visual language shaped by community, resourcefulness, and unfiltered imagination. VHS Dreams invites you to wander through a world where paint and fantasy collide, where legends live not only on the screen, but on the canvas.
In a contemporary moment where digital reproduction dominates, VHS Dreams reasserts the tactile, material presence of paint, canvas, and gesture. It is a celebration of artistic invention born from necessity, of global cinema refracted through local eyes, and of an enduring, defiant visual language that refuses to fade into history.
VHS Dreams: The Art of Ghana’s Mobile Cinema opens July 11, 2025 and remains on view at BEYOND THE STREETS through August 23, 2025.
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Sunday – Tuesday: Closed
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About Deadly Prey Gallery
Deadly Prey Gallery was founded in 2012 by Robert Kofi Ghartey in Accra, Ghana and Brian Chankin in Chicago, USA.
Robert Kofi Ghartey (Deadly Prey)
Robert was born in Elmina and raised in Winneba, Ghana, developed a passion for Ghanaian movie posters at age ten when he worked as a “poster boy” promoting local screenings in exchange for movie entry. His journey began with the film Deadly Prey, igniting a lifelong connection to this unique art form. Now based in Accra, Robert has long maintained ties with the original video club operators and today partners with Deadly Prey Gallery. Together, they spotlight the often-overlooked artists behind these posters, advocating for their recognition and financial support. By encouraging artists to share their own narratives, Robert helps preserve their legacies and ensures they are celebrated not just as anonymous artisans but as vital contributors to global visual culture.
Brian Chankin (Deadly Prey)
Brian’s obsession with movies started at age 8 when his parents rented him Armed and Dangerous on VHS. Seventeen years later he’d open Odd Obsession Movies in Chicago, a video rental store specializing in everything weird, obscure and/or classic. During this time he started collecting hand-painted Ghanian movie posters to decorate the tall walls of the video store, which led him to meet Robert Kofi in Ghana. Robert worked with many of the movie poster artists in Ghana as a teenager in the 90’s. Over the course of a couple years the two men became best friends, so in 2012 Deadly Prey Gallery was born with Brian and Robert as partners! Today they work with 10 artists in Ghana on commission paintings, while also producing prints, books and other merchandise with all profits going to the artists.
ARTISTS BIOS
Bright Obeng
Bright Obeng was born in Teshie, a suburb of Accra, in 1974. After apprenticing 3 years under the legendary artist Affrimartey, by the age of 17 he was already painting some of the most interesting movie posters in Ghana. He loves to paint all types of movies, but especially martial arts. He enjoys watching cartoons, reading the bible, and spending time with his family. "What makes me so excited is when I paint a perfect picture that raises an argument against its reality."
C.A. Wisely
C.A. Wisely was born in 1990 in an area called Akotobu in Teshie town, Accra. In 2006 at age 16 he saw his first movie poster by the great artist Heavy J, and was so fascinated that in that same year he began an apprenticeship with him! By the next year he had painted his first official movie poster, Superman. Wisely loves action and martial arts movies like Rambo, American Ninja, Shaolin Temple, Terminator and Deadly Prey. When he's not painting he loves to read the bible and spread the good word of God's kingdom to all people.
Farkira
Farkira was born in Teshie, Accra in 1967. He was taught by the great Gin Arts in his hometown, and by 1989 was working for Mart Video club where his skill was widely seen as very unique! In his 30+ year career of movie poster painting he has tackled every genre with the same force, but he prefers to paint horror and action movies. Some of his favorite include Hercules, Indiana Jones, Commando and Rambo. When he's not painting (and even when he is) Farkira loves listening to music, especially reggae, soul and highlife. He also enjoys painting portraits, in fact whenever not painting movie posters you can count on him making portraits of hip hop, reggae, R&B, and local Ghanain musicians.
Heavy J
Heavy J was born in 1975 in a town called Pokuase in the greater Accra region. He first started painting signs at an early age under the guidance of the artist Ras Portey. The famous Bombay Video Club quickly took notice of his gift and offered him a job, so by age 17 he was already painting movie posters that set him apart as one of the most talented artists in the genre. He paints night and day! But when he's not painting, Heavy J enjoys reading the bible and playing drums.
H.K. Matthias
Harrison Martei Korley (H.K. Matthias) was born in Teshie Accra Ghana, on the 1st February 1980. His passion for drawing began from my childhood until he enrolled as an apprentice to paint movie posters, and got trained professionally from Heavy Jay’s shop from 1996 to 1999. Matthias describes himself as a versatile painter who can paint everything, but when it comes to movie posters, he loves to spend more time on action and horror movies. He mostly uses oil paint for his movie posters and acrylic for his fine arts. His favourite movies to watch are the Adventure and Action movies like Commando, Rambo. The Transporter, Hard Target and Show down in Little Tokyo. When not painting, he love too watch movies and television news or play football to release stress.
Magasco
Samuel Adjetey Adjei, aka Magasco, was born on August 6, 1976. He started painting in 1993, under the guidance of the legendary Ghanaian artist Farkira. By 1996 movie posters were in such demand that he made painting them his specialty! His favorite genre to paint is horror, and many have said his paintings are the most terrifying of all the artists in Ghana… now that’s saying a lot!! His favorite movies are Beastmaster, Indiana Jones, Conan the Destroyer and Hercules. He’s known for his unique style and portraiture, while tagging “Peace Video Club” (the original video club he painting for in the mobile cinema days) on every single movie poster. When he’s not painting, he enjoys play football to keep fit and watching football to relax among family and friends. “I used to be a sad person when the poster business almost collapsed, but currently I am very Comfortable with my work due to the gains I am making that’s changing my life and has saved me from all the stress I use to go through in the past, so this is one thing that excites me so much as a person for having my life back”.
Mr. Nana Agyq
Mr. Nana Agyq was born in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana in 1982. He first began painting in 2004 while under a 4 year apprenticeship with the great artist Heavy J. His favorite posters to paint are in the horror genre, but the movies he prefers to watch are all Bollywood like Maa, Rashak and Shooley! Nana loves English premier league soccer when he's not watching movies or painting movie posters. He takes painting movie posters very seriously and is constantly working on bettering his technique.
Nii Bi Ashitey
Nii Bi Ashitey was born in Teshie, Accra in 1982. His father was an artist and he wished to follow in his footsteps, so he began a movie poster apprenticeship with the great Heavy J in 2000 that lasted 4 years. Since then he's taken a liking to painting horror, action and martial arts movies. Some of his favorite include Iron Monkey, Eastern Condors, Apocalypto and My Father is a Hero. Ashitey is also an experienced musician who works with a group practicing cultural drumming and dancing.
Salvation
Salvation was born in Teshie, Accra in 1976. As a teenager he worked for More Time Video Club where they would rent out posters by the master painter Joe Mensah. By 1995 he was apprenticing under Mensah, then just 2 years later he worked under Heavy J, so interestingly he learned from two of the all time greatest! Salvation loves to paint and watch horror movies, both American as well as Ghanaian and Nigerian horror. Some of his favorites are Igodo, Egg of Life, Tumi Bi Sen Tumi Bi, Night of the Demons, Braindead and Blade. He also loves playing cards, playing Oware game and gospel music.
Stoger
Stoger was born in Teshie, Accra in 1972. He learned to paint at his older brother Jasper's shop, with skill so defined at an early age he was already painting his own movie posters by age 15! He loves to paint horror, action, and Indian movies, with some of his favorite being Maa, Ghost Ship, Eaten Alive, Total Recall, No Retreat No Surrender, and Evil Dead. When not painting he loves to do carpentry and work on interior decor in his home. Stoger is also a gifted dancer! "Being an artist is a great feeling because you always bring an imagination to life.”
Leonardo
Leonardo is a pioneer in the genre of hand-painted movie posters in Ghana. He was born in 1958 in Darkuman, a suburb of Accra. The true definition of a self taught master, by age 12 Leonardo was already painting signs as well as painting for art. The very first movie posters hit Ghana in 1985 and Leonardo was at the center of it, painting for such great video clubs as Ziggy, Bombay, Zaap, Makosa, and more. No working artist in Ghana has made more movie posters or worked longer than this legendary artist. His favorite movies are The Thief of Baghdad, Clash of the Titans, Aladdin, as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone films. He played a lot of soccer, but claims he can't play these days, so he listens to political programs and music often on the radio. Believe him when he says, "I am most excited when I am behind my canvas painting”.
Leonardo had been with Deadly Prey since its beginning. Sadly Leonardo passed away in September of 2023. His loss is greatly felt by many including Deadly Prey and they continue to help support his family.
BEYOND THE STREETS
BEYOND THE STREETS was founded by Roger Gastman, producer of the 2010 Academy Award-nominated film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, co-curator of Art in the Streets (2011) at the MoCA in Los Angeles, and director of the SHOWTIME documentary Rolling Like Thunder (2021), a plunge into the underground world of freight train graffiti culture. BEYOND THE STREETS is an art-driven cultural and educational worldwide movement celebrating mark makers and rule breakers, agitators and instigators. Its curation showcases the best of contemporary and emerging artists, with a focus on graffiti and street art creators. Boasting over 100 artist collaborators per show, BEYOND THE STREETS is known for its massive-scale exhibitions, immersive educational experiences, and engaging pop-up events, which have played host to over 650,000 unique visitors between its shows in Los Angeles, New York, The Hamptons, London, Shanghai, and digital showcases with NTWRK. BEYOND THE STREETS exhibitions have produced over 2.5B media impressions through global art publications, business journals and culture magazines. BEYOND THE STREETS is widely recognized for its innovative brand partnerships and premium publications, which include over 75 published and authored book titles, including works for the likes of Martha Cooper, Felipe Pantone, POSE, Paul Insect, and Mister CARTOON, amongst others. BEYOND THE STREETS pushes the very idea of art beyond any preconceived boundary.