Ewuresi Archer

Ewuresi Archer is a Ghanaian painter and printmaker based in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2022 with a BFA in Painting, an emphasis in Printmaking and a concentration in Creative Writing. Her work puts Ghanaian culture on a pedestal while acknowledging how it coexists with Western influence. This coexistence has always been present in her life, and she explores that duality through her art. Archer uses a glowing, saturated color palette with scrappy, energetic marks to depict everyday moments; pounding fufu, getting a haircut, eating foods that carry memory and tradition. She scrapes back into her canvas with a palette knife and distorts prints to the edge of abstraction, leaving just enough for the viewer to recognize what they’re seeing. This distortion mirrors her own longing, her nostalgia for a culture that always felt slightly out of reach due to her upbringing. These paintings are both an invitation and a reclamation. An invitation to those unfamiliar with Archers culture, to witness and celebrate it. Her art is a love letter; A reclamation for herself and others like her who were made to feel like their culture wasn’t enough. She wants us to see the beauty, the power, and the value in what has always been ours. Ewuresi has exhibited nationally, with solo shows including Alluring Souls at The Beltline Project in Detroit and You Are Invited: Your Hands and Mouth Are Not at Akron Soul Train. She’s also shown work in exhibitions like Waking Dream at River House Arts, MAPC: We Want More at Reinberger Gallery, and I Am My Best Work at The Painting Center in New York. She also co-curated a two-person site-specific installation for Rooms to Let in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood. Beyond her studio practice, Ewuresi is an active community builder. She’s led screen printing and collage workshops in her community with places such at the Cleveland Museum of Art, taught diverse groups from children to adults, and gave an artist lecture at her alma mater. She’s designed posters and album covers for places such as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and currently co-coordinates the Black Arts Showcase Cleveland. Her work has been recognized with the First Place Paul and Norma Tikkanen Painting Prize, a feature in Canvas Rebel and New Art Examiner. You can find her on instagram @ewuresi.archer or reach her by email at ewuresiarcher.art@gmail.com.