Paul Rousso

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About the artwork

"Asian Cash III" by Paul Rousso is a compelling three-dimensional artwork that intricately weaves together various Asian currencies into a spherical form, distinct from its counterparts in the series. Through his precise thermoforming technique, Rousso transforms flat banknotes, including visible Hong Kong Dollars, into a captivating, sculptural mass of folds and textures. The piece highlights the diverse designs and intricate security features inherent in global money, now recontextualized as a work of art. "Asian Cash III" compels viewers to look beyond the monetary value and appreciate the aesthetic and cultural significance embedded in each bill. It serves as a powerful statement on the ubiquity of commerce and the artistry of national symbols, all encapsulated within a single, striking form.

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.