The Akron Art Museum announces a new exhibition, Good Hope, opening on June 1, 2022. In the exhibition, visitors are transported into the environs around the illustrators’ hometown of Cape Town, South Africa, exploring the flora, fauna, and folklore. Exploration and humor are at the center of these wall-sized illustrations. Good Hope will be on view in the Museum’s David C. Corbin Foundation Gallery and Rory and Dedee O’Neil Lobby.
“Good Hope will offer unique perspectives into the environment of the artists,” Jon Fiume, John S. Knight Director and CEO, said. “I look forward to getting lost in the energetic images as I explore the wonderful aspects of each location through the artwork.”
The exhibition features whimsical compositions by Studio Muti, an illustration group based in Cape Town, South Africa. The word “Muti” is a Zulu word for medicine, and the studio’s approach is to use imagery as a therapy for boredom. The Good Hope installation will bring visitors into a visually rich space filled with surprises.
The Studio Muti artists represent a broad range of styles and genres, but the work is bound by a collective sense of curiosity and humor. Muti’s founders, Clinton Campbell and Miné Day, started the studio in 2011, eventually adding 13 people and a cat. The mountains and seas that bound Cape Town is one source of inspiration, as is the rich cultural heritage of South Africa. While some illustrators work in solitude, Muti works collectively, harnessing the energy of the studio into their ebullient images. Studio Muti’s Good Hope will be on view at the Museum through May 14, 2023.