Canvas Paper and Stone Gallery

The Nigerian artist Fela Anikulapo Kuti, is the founder of a genre of music known as Afrobeat, which is a blend of Jazz, Funk and Rock. Fela, an instrumental genius played the saxophone, keyboards, trumpet, guitar, and drums. Fela used his voice as instrument to sing about the political and social infrastructures in Nigeria.  

Howard T. Cash’s photo exhibition Fela: The Man - The Artist is a series of photos taken in the 1980’s.  These photographs capture personal vulnerability in Fela-tapping into a private space, often not seen in the media.  As in the title, “Fela: The Man - The Artist” Fela “the man” is the first and most important depiction in Mr. Cash’s work.  In his visuals, we see Fela the soul of a man often overshadowed and drowned out by the political sounds of the music-a voice with a message.