📸 1. Development of the new public transport ticketing system, Accra, late 1940s 2. A conductor in Accra Central Bus station, 1970s “Barnor’s images are his companion. His photographs resonate universally because they imbue historical, political, cultural and educational significance with his personal perspective. [...] This timelessness is evident in two photographs taken by Barnor at bus terminals over two decades apart. These images exist as photographic fact but also read like fiction, specifically reminding me of the opening chapter of Ayi Kwei Armah’s, The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born: “The conductor sat up, his eyes wide open, took his bag off the floor, drew from within it his day’s block of tickets, and laying this on the seat beside him, poured out all the money he had collected so far beside it. Then, checking the coins against the tickets, he began to count the morning’s take.” In The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born, Armah uses public infrastructure and architecture as a motif to highlight the tension between a Ghanaian society in transition. [...] Visually, Barnor’s image shows progress in the form of national transport, while Armah gives voice to the passengers in transition.” ✏️ Excerpt from Bianca Manu’s (@bianca_a_manu) essay “Capturing Potential: a brief history of Ghana’s progress” in James Barnor: Stories, LUMA Arles exhibition catalogue, 2022. James Barnor: Stories – Pictures from the Archive (1947-1987) is now open at @luma_arles. The exhibition is presented as part of the Rencontres d’Arles (@rencontresarles) and LUMA’s Living Archives Programme. James Barnor: Stories – Pictures from the Archive (1947-1987) The Tower, Level-2, Archives Gallery More info through the link in bio. #biancamanu #jamesbarnor #jamesbarnorarchives #accra #luma #lumafoundation #lumaarles #majahoffmann #arles #rencontresarles #arles2022 #clementinedelaferonniere