The San Francisco Arts Commission has once again graced our city’s open spaces with another public art piece, "Aurum," which has been catching eyes in Mint Plaza. The geometric light sculpture, a collaborative work by the artist duo HYBYCOZO—Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu—offers a visual meditation on gold's cosmic and cultural journey through history, directly tied to San Francisco's Gold Rush legacy.
The stellated dodecahedron form is a striking mix of laser-cut, powder-coated stainless steel and LED lights installed along Jessie Street between Fifth and Mint Streets. During the day, its matte flaxen gold color shimmers under the sun. By night, its internal LED lights create dynamic shadows and reflections, transforming the concrete surroundings of the plaza. The Arts Commission Director of Cultural Affairs, Ralph Remington, said in a statement obtained by the San Francisco Arts Commission, "While all that glitters may not always be gold, the Arts Commission is thrilled to install Aurum by HYBYCOZO in Mint Plaza to highlight the importance, historical significance, and connection that gold has to San Francisco."
Chosen from a shortlist of qualified artists in 2018, HYBYCOZO's proposal was selected for Mint Plaza's Public Art Project, an initiative funded by the city’s Planning Code which requires certain private development projects to allocate 1 percent of the project costs to public artwork. The Martin Building Company backed the funding for the project, dropping a cool $250,000 into the Public Art Trust to make Aurum's installation a reality.
Tipping the scales at nearly 2,000 pounds, the sculpture is more than an art installation. It is a connective tissue to the historic SF Mint and the broader narrative of gold's significance in the universe. "The use of gold has coincided with the development of civilization, art, and science and it is prized both for its utilitarian qualities and aesthetic beauty," shared artist duo Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu of HYBYCOZO as they mused the influence of gold in a statement shared by the San Francisco Arts Commission. "It is our hope that Aurum shines a new light on Mint Plaza and helps brings together those that live near by or are just passing through and invite them to enter this space and learn about San Francsico’s history and connection with gold, sparking curiosity to learn more about its origins, and its impact on our world today."
