Ewia: A Duo Exhibition Exploring the Past, Present, and Future Through Art

Featuring Patricia Edwine Poku and Rodney “BUCK!” Herring

Presented by Anacostia Arts Center Powered by Wacif

Washington, DC, 2/11/2025 – Washington, DC – The arts serve as a time machine, transporting us across different eras and perspectives. Ewia, a duo exhibition featuring artists Patricia Edwine Poku and Rodney “BUCK!” Herring, embodies this concept by investigating the convergence of past, present, and future, deeply influenced by West African history and contemporary literature. Ewia, meaning “sun” in English,
symbolizes the universal connection of humanity under a shared sky.

Patricia Edwine Poku, a rising graduate of American University’s studio art graduate program, is a Ghanaian visual artist who began painting in 2018. Holding a BA in Publishing from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, she utilizes color and mark-making to translate verbal storytelling into visual form. Inspired by her Ghanaian roots, Poku’s works explore the relationships between cosmology, human connection, ancestry, and spirituality. Her highly textured pieces, created on unstretched canvas with materials such as sand, yarn, and rope, invite viewers to contemplate the ancestral maps found in the stars.

Rodney “BUCK!” Herring, a Baltimore native and Hampton University graduate, channels his artistic voice through literature and daily experiences. He describes his work as an “ongoing conversation” with himself, shaped by his artistic influences and research. His large-scale canvases, infused with deep blue, green, and red tones, critique the intersection of digital literacy and freedom. Buck!’s work evokes the vibrant frames of Hayao Miyazaki films set against colorfully turbulent skies, presenting a vision of the present imagined within the future.

Together, Poku and Buck! challenge audiences to reflect on their perceptions of the world. Do we truly
understand what we see? Is our vision of human potential as expansive as it should be? Through their
dynamic works, the artists invite viewers to embrace a broader perspective of existence.
Ewia will be on view at the Anacostia Arts Center from Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 5 PM, at 1231 Marion Barry Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020.