At the very beginning of October, we were invited to the Park Hyatt New York hotel for the latest art collection featuring Jeffrey Okyere-Agyeii, a contemporary abstract artist and bellman at the hotel. “TeRa-NiSeR ToTeMs” is inspired by Okyere-Agyei’s upbringing in Ghana, where totems are a large part of the physical symbology passed down through generations. Ghana is one of many cultures across the world that have totems embedded in their history through artifacts and storytelling. These totems possess spirits of animals, plants, and various other entities associated with their ancestors.
Marking Okyere-Agyei’s third exhibit at the iconic Park Hyatt New York, the collection titled “TeRa-NiSeR ToTeMs,” is inspired by the artist’s upbringing in Ghana, where totems were a large part of the physical symbology he experienced, as passed down through the generations. Ghana’s culture, artifacts, and storytelling, like many across the world, honor totems as important fixtures embedded in their history, and typically possess spirits of animals, plants, and various other entities associated with their ancestors.
“I have always been intrigued by ancient mythical artifacts and have found their relevance to the human story fascinating,” said Okyere-Agyei. “TeRa-NiSeR ToTeMs has become my creative interpretation of one aspect of our human history, modern art, and its spiritual symbology as a way to connect the past to the present. With the use of resin and vibrant color pigments, each piece has a unique mystical reverence about it.”
Last fall, the hotel presented Okyere-Agyei’s “EDIFICE,” an abstract interpretation of New York City’s incredible cityscapes and famous skyline. Prior to that in September 2019, Okyere-Agyei displayed his first Park Hyatt New York exhibit, “Future Art for the Present,” which reflected his love of movement in nature, space, and geometry.
The artist’s current installation began on September 14 and will be commemorated with a launch event in the hotel’s restaurant, The Living Room, on October 6. “TeRa-NiSeR ToTeMs” will be on display at Park Hyatt New York’s ground-level Avenue Gallery and in The Living Room through the end of December 2022.
For desert, we indulged in a few pastries. To start we had a fluffy brioche slice filled with a passionfruit sauce, the perfect sugar kick for anyone with a sweet tooth. Next up was the Green Tea Scone which was full of white chocolate that was flavorful but not overpowering; a great pair for tea. Lastly, it was only right to close off on a classic chocolate chip cookie that was crunchy in all the right places.
