“3rd Culture: Unseen Threads” Opening Reception

“3rd Culture: Unseen Threads”, a Solo Exhibition by Kwaku Ofori-Yirenkyi Exploring Family, Migration, Memory, and Identity On display: November 7 – December 6, 2026 Opening Reception: Saturday, November 7 | 6:00–8:00 PM Exhibition programming sponsored by Micron. Exhibit Summary ARTfactory is proud to present “3rd Culture: Unseen Threads” a solo exhibition by artist Kwaku Ofori- Yirenkyi (ABSKU) exploring the intersections of family, migration, memory, and cultural inheritance. Through painting, fabric, photography, relief, pattern, and abstraction, Ofori-Yirenkyi traces the unseen connections between Ghanaian heritage and contemporary American cultural influences, revealing how identity evolves across generations. The faceless black figures in his compositions shift attention away from individual likeness and toward presence—gesture, relationships, clothing, symbols, and the ways people carry one another. Kente and Ankara textiles, Adinkra symbols, family imagery, and Ghanaian cultural references exist alongside contemporary abstraction and Western influences. Across the exhibition, abstract fields of pattern and symbol gradually give way to more specific relationships, places, and family histories. This evolution reflects the artist’s understanding of 3rd Culture: traditional Ghanaian and contemporary Western cultures do not simply exist side by side. Through migration, assimilation, inheritance, and lived experience, they become interwoven into something new. The unseen threads are what remain connected through that transformation—family, ancestry, memory, values, culture, and belonging. The work asks not only what we inherit, but what we change, what we carry forward, and what we ultimately make our own. About the Artist Kwaku Ofori-Yirenkyi, also known as ABSKU, is a Ghanaian American visual artist based in Virginia whose work explores migration, cultural memory, identity, and belonging through the lens of the African diaspora. Born in Ghana and raised in the United States, he draws on Ghanaian textiles, Adinkra symbolism, family narratives, and personal and collective memory. Working primarily in painting and mixed media, ABSKU combines acrylic, oil pastel, fabric, collage, and sculptural materials to create layered works that examine how culture and identity are inherited, carried, and transformed across generations. For additional information, please visit the ARTfactory or contact the gallery for exhibition details. Press Inquiries Jordan Exum, Gallery Director ARTfactory | Caton Merchant Gallery | 9419 Battle St, Manassas, VA 20110 703.330.2787 | [email protected] https://virginiaartfactory.org/ Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am-5 pm, Sunday, 12-5 pm