
Helene Love-Allotey
Head of Department
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Sold for £12,800 inc. premium
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Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist, 2020;
A private collection.
A dynamic, and exciting artist from Ghana, Yaw Owusu's iconic and original pieces constructed of copper coins are meticulously constructed and rendered to produce optical effects with intrinsic meaning. Beginning as a traditional portrait painter, Owusu has made a dynamic shift to sculptural works to communicate more symbolic narratives relevant to the social, political and economic climate he was experiencing. The technical manipulation of his chosen material, pesewa coins which were introduced in 2007, involved chemical reactions, enabling the array of colours that we see within the work. Owusu used salt from the south coast and vinegar from the central and east regions to perform these material processes, simultaneously signifying local industries. The pesewa's value would plummet due to inflation, yet their significance grows here as the artist utilises them to question concepts of economic and social value and political independence.
Owusu was awarded the Kuenyehia Art Prize for Contemporary Ghanaian Art in 2018 and the Pratt Institute's Outstanding Student and Circle Awards in 2020. He has further held residencies at Efie Gallery in Dubai, Cope NYC in America, and Galerie 102 in Berlin. With solo exhibitions held at galleries in Ghana, the UK, and USA, and a solo show at ICA San Diego in 2022, Owusu has defined himself as a highly innovative sculptor and artist.