Ghanaian artist Paa Joe has brought some of New York City’s most iconic motifs to life. As part of Superhouse NYC’s inaugural “Celestial City” exhibition, the multidisciplinary artist served up a handful of lifesize sculptures of the city’s signature signage, including pizza boxes, taxi cabs, bagels and, of course, rats.
“Celestial City” not only marks Paa’s solo NYC debut, but it also comes as the first exhibition in Superhouse’s new space in downtown Manhattan, just off Canal Street.
Paa’s structures include those large and small, with the standout pieces being two human-scale coffins in the shapes of a Heinz ketchup bottle and a taxi. In Paa’s Ga community, there’s a huge emphasis on funerary rights and traditions when paying respects to the dead; Paa also spearheads Paa Joe Coffin Works studio which is devoted to crafting bespoke coffins.
Brian Ferry
A lifesize sculpture of a pizza box stuffed into a trash can looks strikingly real, aside from its witty writings on the box. Elsewhere, Paa replicates mini models of The Statue of Liberty, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum and a Hermès Birkin handbag.
“They’ve got a lot of the great details in here,” Superhouse founder Stephen Markos told Wallpaper. “There’s this quality to the sculpture and the painting that is so playful, and really, really detailed in funny ways.”
Take a closer look at the exhibition in the gallery above.
“Celestial City” is open to the public until April 27, 2024. Stop by at the below address.
120 Walker Street, 6R
New York, NY 10013
