Ghanaian visual artiste, Yaw Owusu’s exhibition, ‘Everything You Touch Is Gold’ showcases an array of coins displayed on wooden panels and canvas.
It opened at climax of Accra Cultural Week 2023 on Sunday, September 19 at Gallery 1957, Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra.
These pieces, with their captivating blend of hues, textures, and abstract motifs, evoke the traditional artisanship seen in Ghanaian kente.
The art piece presents thought-provoking examinations of the interconnected notions of capital and worth, trade and interchange, currency, and design.
Owusu’s artwork critically explores worth, both as a construct and a potent factor in our globally connected society.
It is presented as a delicate entity transforming within numerous socio-political and historical frameworks.
Location: Gallery 1957 – Curated by Azu Nwabigu
Portions of Azu’s curatorial statement reads: “The coin and its attributive value follow a trace in history, common to post-colonial Africa, of the continuous devaluation of the medium of exchange. Their composition — of copper-coated steel rather than copper — and their outward denominations — wherein the same coin is used to represent forever increasing denominations of a perpetually inflating currency — attest to the degradation of economic conditions.
A Subtle Rebuke to the location of coins’ production
“Today, Ghana’s coins are made by the Royal Canadian Mint and shipped to Ghana.
“That these Ghanaian coins are produced in Canada illustrates the persistence of colonial dynamics decades after Ghana fought for and gained Independence in 1957.”
