YAW OWUSU

(b. 1992) creates sculptural paintings and installations by shifting otherwise worthless materials into encounters of value. He uses the smallest denomination of coins, stainless steel, wood, copper, found objects, and social engagements. His processes involve oxidation, plating, and other experimental activities that transform the texture and color of the materials into anything but their natural qualities – like the minted coins today. These works are manifested in forms of sculptural paintings, installations, drawings, prints, and social engagements.

His work penetrates the histories of trade, exchange, and labor to question the foundations of contemporary economies. The work explores the transient nature of value across varied cultural and economic contexts. An approach rooted in a deep sense of playful alchemy that embraces the complexity of currency, symbolism, and meaning. Like the copper-plated steel Ghana pesewas, minted by the Royal Canadian Mint, a failed attempt to curb inflation since 2007, the question of Africa's economic independence becomes crucial in his work.