Welcome back to What We're Framing Now, our series spotlighting the pieces our team is framing and the stories behind them. This time, Alex, showroom manager at our River North showroom, brings us a print of a hand-painted Ghanaian movie poster for Batman (1989).
It's part childhood nostalgia, part outsider art and it's framed to let every wild brushstroke take center stage.
What piece did you frame?
A print of a Ghanaian movie poster for Batman (1989), starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
What do you love most about it?
I've been obsessed with movies for as long as I can remember. It started with my dad and I watching his favorite 80s action and sci-fi movies together. Batman was one of my all-time favorites. We played that VHS tape so many times it was completely worn out.
The story behind these posters is just as wild as the art. In Ghana, a community of movie lovers held DIY screenings of Hollywood classics. Without the resources to get the official poster for an upcoming feature, local artists would hand-paint their own on flour sacks instead. Those posters have since become wildly popular, and today they're sold through an organization called Deadly Prey Gallery, with all profits going to the artists.
That's what makes this one so special to me. It brings together three things I love: movies, offbeat art and creativity.
Why did you choose the framing combination you did?
My editioned print is only a fraction of the size of the original painting, so I wanted a frame that would draw as much attention to the art as possible without competing with it. The poster brings plenty of color and energy on its own. The frame's job was to set the stage and let it steal the show.
What's your favorite part about how it turned out?
It's bright, colorful and totally unique, but it still doesn't feel overframed. The art gets to do all the talking.
Where will you display it?
It's going in our dining room, so every meal now comes with a little dinner-and-a-movie energy.
Got a movie poster, concert print or piece of pop culture that deserves the spotlight? Stop by and see Alex at our River North showroom, or visit our Highland Park or Lincoln Park locations, and we'll help you find a frame that lets it shine.