50 for 50: Kwaku Ofori-Yirenkyi
50 for 50: Kwaku Ofori-Yirenkyi presents work by Ghanaian-American visual artist Kwaku Ofori-Yirenkyi, also known as Absku. His paintings and mixed-media pieces examine the third-culture experience of living between inherited traditions and the places one calls home, considering migration, memory, identity, belonging, and how culture changes across borders and generations.
The exhibition features portraiture, abstraction, African textiles, Adinkra symbolism, and layered surfaces made with acrylic paint, oil pastels, fabric, clay foam, and other sculptural materials. Fragmented faces, eyes, mouths, patterns, and recurring figures form a visual vocabulary for memory, adaptation, loss, and cultural inheritance. The tactile works blur the distinction between painting and relief, presenting identity as something continually negotiated rather than fixed.
Ofori-Yirenkyi was born in Ghana and raised between cultures. His practice draws on African textiles, Adinkra symbolism, and everyday stories, combining traditional and contemporary influences through layered portraits and mixed-media compositions. His work has appeared in solo and group exhibitions in Ghana, Ohio, Iowa, and Virginia.
The presentation is part of Touchstone’s “50 for 50” artist opportunity, which invites 50 community artists to exhibit at the gallery during 2026, the year of Touchstone’s 50th anniversary.
When: Wednesday, October 21, 2026, through Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Showtimes: The event listing gives 4:00 PM on October 21 and 3:00 PM on October 28.
Reception: October 21 from 5:00 to 7:30 PM
Artist: Kwaku Ofori-Yirenkyi, also known as Absku
Mediums: Acrylic paint, oil pastels, fabric, clay foam, and other sculptural materials
Themes: Migration, cultural memory, identity, belonging, the African diaspora, and the transformation of culture across generations
Tickets: Price not available
Venue: Touchstone Gallery
Address: 901 New York Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20001