Rosemond Nyamewaa Van-Ess
Rosemond Nyamewaa Van-Ess is a contemporary artist born in Accra, Ghana. I hold a BSC. in Ceramics Technology from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana and an MFA student at Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro,USA. I work as a graduate Assistant at the wood shop and Digital Tech and Recruitment/ Art Office in Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro.
Through her art, she explores the complexities surrounding gender, cultural identity, and societal limitations, particularly in relation to women. Her work confronts the constraints women face within social, academic, and political realms, revealing the vulnerabilities and strengths of her gender while highlighting society’s own inherent flaws. Driven by an intimate connection with craft, she incorporates elements like nylon rope, acrylic color, and traditional Ghanaian Kente prints into her clay work—a choice influenced by the limited access to glaze in Ghana. This vibrant material selection connects her creations to Ghana’s cultural aesthetics, while Kente prints, rich in pattern and color, evoke the resilience and dynamism of women.
The artist’s use of materials and techniques draws deeply from Asante Ghanaian heritage, with fabrics symbolizing collective identity and memory, while acrylic drips represent the sweat and effort of women embedded in performative traditions. Her pieces are a testament to her personal, familial, and societal relationships, woven into the broader cultural memory of Ghana. By examining historical, political, economic, and educational issues affecting Ghanaian and African contemporary culture, she invites viewers into a shared, redefined cultural space. Here, assumptions about history, gender, governance, and collective identity are challenged, opening dialogues about the evolving role and representation of women.