Aurum Unveiled at Mint Plaza, San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO — HYBYCOZO has installed Aurum on Mint Plaza, a permanent public sculpture commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission. The work was installed in October 2024; the studio was selected in 2018.

The form is a stellated dodecahedron, twelve pentagonal faces extended outward until the planes meet again in points, with geometric patterns tessellating across the surface. The title is the Latin word for gold. The work traces gold's formation through nucleosynthesis in massive stars, confirmed in 2017 when the LIGO experiment detected gravitational waves from a stellar collision. Mint Plaza adjoins the Old Mint, which once held a third of the nation's gold reserves.

The sculpture is powder-coated stainless steel sheets welded into twelve cones with LED lighting, measuring approximately 140 by 162 inches and weighing close to 2,000 pounds, with a UV-protective, graffiti-resistant finish.

The commission was made through the City's Art Enrichment Ordinance and sponsored by Martin Building Company.

About HYBYCOZO

Civic plaza artwork and permanent public art commissions make up much of HYBYCOZO's work. The studio, founded by Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk in Los Angeles, delivers projects through percent-for-art programs including the San Francisco Arts Commission's Art Enrichment Ordinance and Multnomah County's Percent for Art Program. Works are perforated stainless steel with internal lighting, specified for daily public use and long-term outdoor siting.