Mondo Ghana Preview: Creature From the Black Lagoon & The Thing

Consistently, Mondo—the collectible arts arm of the Alamo Drafthouse—have utilized their Austin gallery space for more than simple tribute to the movies we love. The company and its long line of incredible artists and collaborators both celebrate and offer new interpretation andd lenses through which to view things like EC Comics, Marvel heroes, the Universal Monsters, and most recently with Jason Edmiston, the eyes of iconic and cult figures from film, music, comics, video games, toys and more. This Friday however, they kick off something truly special: a show dedicated to the storied, unbelievable folk film art of Ghana.

For those unfamiliar, Mondo explains: “When VHS tapes hit West Africa in the early 80s, promoters would organize film screenings at mobile theaters, or ‘video clubs.’ To advertise for these events, they would commission local artists to create movie posters based on a basic outline (or even just the title) of a film. The result is a wonderfully loose and imaginative interpretation painted on large rice sack canvas. This is a global phenomenon, but posters from Ghana have gained particular recognition in the States.

Though the art form has started to fade away due to more readily available equipment and media in Western Africa, there are a handful of artists keeping the tradition alive. This has been a dream come true for us as we’ve been huge fans and collectors of these movie posters for several years. These paintings are magnificent in person and we can’t wait to have them on display (and available for purchase) at our gallery.”

Shock Till You Drop is excited to present an exclusive look at Mondo Ghana, which opens with a reception on Friday, April 10th from 7pm – 10pm at the Mondo Gallery (4115 Guadalupe St) in Austin, Texas. The exhibit will run through April 25th. Below, find two pieces from artist J.A. Fasco, a pair of amazing, insane visions of Creature from the Black Lagoon and John Carpenter’s The Thing.