Afterword

Inhabiting a world of their own, Yiadom-­ Boakye’s figures are deliberately undefined by their surroundings and are difficult to locate in time or place. The artist rarely includes details that might suggest the fashions of a particular culture or period, and the dark, ambiguous backgrounds are largely devoid of material or architectural references. Her characters appear content and at ease in settings imbued with a calm sense of inaction. Yiadom-­ Boakye has revealed that she sees them as unburdened by the modern world: “They don’t share our concerns or anxieties. They are somewhere else altogether.” Indeed, Afterword, featuring a lone, contemplative figure seated at a table bearing a fruit bowl evocative of Paul Cézanne’s iconic still lifes, projects a profound sense of time-lessness and ambiguity.