Absa Bank has unveiled ‘The Things the Street Made Beautiful’, a solo exhibition by Edward Lawerh Dugbartey, the 2023 Absa L’Atelier Ambassador, opening on Friday, 14 November 2025, at Mix Design Hub in Accra.
In this deeply human and visually arresting body of work, Dugbartey turns his gaze to the unseen beauty of life on the streets, the raw, unpolished, and unfiltered realities of young people who survive and self-create in the margins of society. His art challenges audiences to look beyond the surface, to see the dignity, creativity, and resilience in lives often dismissed or misunderstood.
“There is a kind of beauty the world does not see,” Dugbartey reflects. “It’s not the polished kind. It’s rough, loud, crooked, and real.”
Through his use of unconventional materials, insecticide solution, oil paint, image transfers, old photographs, and fabric, Dugbartey bridges metaphor and material. The insecticide corrodes and transforms the canvas just as hardship reshapes human lives; the old photographs act as anchors of memory, linking the forgotten past to the vivid present. Out of this interplay of decay and renewal, Dugbartey creates something transcendent: art that insists on the worth and beauty of every life.
The ‘Things the Street Made Beautiful’ is not a call for pity, but a declaration that these lives are art-worthy, deserving of visibility and artistic recognition. Each piece embodies defiance and tenderness in equal measure, inviting viewers to confront the tension, spirit, and truth that live within these children of the street.
This exhibition forms part of Absa’s Pan-African L’Atelier Ambassador Exhibition Series, spotlighting artists whose work captures the complexity, courage, and creativity of the continent. Now in its 39th year, the Absa L’Atelier remains one of Africa’s most respected visual arts development platforms, championing young artists and offering them a professional platform to exhibit their work regionally and internationally.
Since the Absa L’Atelier opened across the continent in 2019, there have been five winners from Ghana, a powerful testament to the country’s vibrant and growing artistic voice within Africa’s creative landscape.
“At the heart of the Absa L’Atelier is the belief that every artist’s story matters,” says Dr Paul Bayliss, Absa Senior Specialist Art Curator. “Edward Lawerh’s work embodies this truth. His art transforms materials of survival into symbols of beauty and resilience, echoing the spirit of those who rise and redefine themselves daily. We are honoured to support him in sharing this story with the world.”
Mahmoud Brimah, Gallery Manager at Mix Design Hub, adds: “Hosting Edward’s exhibition is an incredible privilege. His work reflects the creative and emotional pulse of our streets, the mix of struggle, pride, and invention that defines our urban landscape. This collaboration with Absa celebrates art as both witness and catalyst for transformation.”
Through this exhibition series, Absa reaffirms its belief in the power of African art, its ability to reveal, challenge, and inspire. Because Absa sees your story. And it matters.
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