Kingsley Kofi Deffor's 'Pretty Lady' and 'Go and Ask the Boss' (photos by Chris Becker)
Inside the cozy vibe of Janice Bond’s ground-level, sunlit gallery space, Deffor’s portraits of Ghanaian street life reveal layers of detail and range of emotional content, though the overall mood is one of pride and positivity. More than a few of his subjects are smiling or laughing.
Born in 1985 in Accra, Ghana, Deffor endured a tough childhood. His commitment to and passion for making art was more often than not met with derision, and even physical violence. A child of hip-hop music, fashion, and culture, including graffiti, which all found its way to Ghana in the mid-1990s, Deffor went on to formally study visual arts and design, and now manages a career as both a painter and street muralist. He’s created art for companies and institutions, including Adidas Ghana, Harley Davidson Accra, and the Embassy of Mexico, and participated as a graffiti artist in street festivals across Accra.
Heard and Seen showcases Deffor’s most recent figurative work, with Harlem Renaissance master Herbert Gentry and Jean-Michel Basquiat namechecked in the press release as influences. But whereas Basquiat’s depictions of the human form are often frightening, with veins, inner organs, and skeletons exposed, and his mostly male subjects looking as if they were in the process of being X-rayed, electrocuted, or vaporized, the individuals in Deffor’s portraits are translucent, but never appear to be in distress or discombobulated. These are rugged, dignified people, each painted on a canvas layered with multilingual newspaper copy, cartoons, and advertisements, a collaging technique used in surrealism and cubism and to paper the walls of Afro American and White Appalachian cabins throughout the slave- and Depression-era deep south. In his research into West African art and spirituality in the Americas, Robert Farris Thompson identifies this “interrupted patterning” as a very old method for disorienting and warding off evil spirits. Interestingly, in a recent live-streamed conversation with Bond, Deffor described a strange dream he had in which an unidentified adversary sternly told him to put down the newspaper he was attempting to read and get back to painting.
Sprits and artspeak aside, Deffor’s portraits are engaging, sometimes mysterious, but always firmly grounded in the street. Heard and Seen is a welcome opportunity for Houstonians of all ethnicities and skin tones to experience just a bit of what is emerging artistically and culturally out of Accra, and revel in Deffor’s genuine enthusiasm and love for the everyday people of his hometown.
Detail of 'Go and Ask the Boss' (photo by Chris Becker)
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Beef Wellington at Phat Eatery
Bloom & Bee
Bloom & Bee
The pretty Post Oak Hotel restaurant is open for reservations on Christmas Day, offering a special three-course menu featuring butter-poached king crab, Akaushi New York strip, Kurobuta pork tenderloin, Dover sole and more ($95 per adult, $45 for kids under 12).
Kiran's
Christmas brunch is on with 12pm and 2pm seatings for a buffet with a wide assortment of Indian delicacies including starters, mains like carved leg of lamb, tandoori salmon, and chicken tikka masala — with sides, of course, and a dessert extravaganza!
Cleburne Cafeteria
With traditional recipes that date back almost 80 years, the restaurant will welcome guests for dine-in or takeout from 11 to 8pm on Christmas Day.
Hamsa
The modern Israeli hotspot will be lighting the menorah every night at sundown and offering guests sufganiyot (fried donuts) with the meal. The restaurant will be open with its regular menu Dec. 24 and Dec. 25.
Kin Dee
Kin Dee's butterfly tea margarita
The authentic Thai eatery will offer a special menu on Sunday, Dec. 25, with highlights such as roasted duck breast Panang, Shrimp Tom Yum, Northern Curry, and Tiger Cry salad with sliced steak, as well as festive cocktails.
Phat Eatery
Phat Eatery will be open on Christmas Day until 8pm. In addition to signature family-style Malaysian night market hits, James Beard Award semifinalist chef Alex Au-Yeung will be offering two holiday specials: Wagyu Rendang Wellington and rich Lobster Mee. Available for to-go and dine-in, Dec. 16-Jan. 1. Call 832.412.2927 for reservations or book online.
Musaafer
Leg of lamb (photo by Raydon Creative)
This Indian jewel inside the Galleria mall will be open on Christmas Day for lunch and dinner. Chef Mayank Istwal is proudly offering a slow-braised leg of lamb with sides of roasted carrots, charred shallots, red onions, radish, sweet peppers, Lachha paratha and lamb gravy — it's served family-style, and will feed six adults ($300). Other indulgences include pastry chef Ruchit Harneja's "Santa Plause" dessert, a hat-shaped, multi-layered plum cake with creamy, all-spice rabdi icing, gingerbread snap and coconut marshmallow.
The Warwick
The Warwick (photo by Brandon Holmes)
Located in the former Houston's space on Westheimer, The Warwick is open for brunch on Christmas Day with a ginormous platter that'll serve the whole fam. The Board Room Brunch boasts butter-pecan waffles, candied bacon, sausage, eggs, green-chile hash, fruit, muffins and croissants for $100. And don't forget to order a festive "Martini Tree" with six or 12 drinks that arrive at the table in quite an artful celebration.
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