Paul Rousso

Paper Market, 2023
mixed media on hand sculpted polystyrene, 177.8 x 17.78 x 147.32 cm

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About the artwork

"Paper Market" by Paul Rousso is a captivating and expansive artwork that showcases a three-dimensional arrangement of scattered currencies from various nations. This monumental piece commands attention and invites viewers to contemplate the complexities of global finance. Rousso's creation serves as a visual testament to the ever-changing nature of economies and the fragility of financial systems. Through its immense size and three-dimensional form, "Broke Bank" prompts reflection on the interconnectedness of currencies worldwide and the constant flux of economic fortunes.



About the artist

American artist Paul Rousso transforms the fleeting into the monumental. Renowned for his hyperreal, oversized sculptures of crumpled currency, candy wrappers, newspapers, and glossy magazine pages, Rousso interrogates our relationship with media, materialism, and memory. His works playfully immortalize what is typically tossed aside—objects meant to be consumed and forgotten—elevating them into timeless icons of contemporary culture. Rousso’s practice draws from a diverse background in scenic design, digital manipulation, and commercial art direction, all of which converge in his meticulously crafted sculptures.

Through a proprietary process of heat infusion on plexiglass and other materials, he sculpts paper-thin forms that mimic real-life textures with startling accuracy. The result is artwork that is both technically impressive and conceptually resonant—wrinkled banknotes and discarded ads become touchpoints for nostalgia, identity, and cultural commentary. Influenced by Pop Art masters like Lichtenstein and Warhol, as well as the fantastical stylings of Dr. Seuss, Rousso infuses his work with wit, color, and scale. But beneath the playful surface lies a quiet urgency: a meditation on the impermanence of media in a world where physical print is vanishing.

By preserving these ephemeral artifacts in larger-than-life form, he invites viewers to pause, reflect, and consider what we value—and what we throw away.

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