Artist Nanda Thompson Whispers at OkEq
(Tulsa, OK) Artist Nanda Thompson is featured in an exhibit titled Whispers in the March First Thursday exhibit and reception at Oklahoman’s for Equality’s Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, in Tulsa. The opening reception is Thursday, March 5.
Fernanda Thompson, or "Nanda" to her friends, has been an active artist most of her life. She grew up on the beaches of Northeastern Brazil, constantly reflecting the images and emotions of the tropical world and culture in her art. She studied literature and architecture which reflects in her work, but she was pulled to less rigid forms of expression.
The latest phase of her work was inspired by a significant life experience. While working on these pieces, a feeling that her life story was incomplete began to assert itself. She did not fully grasp what was missing, but it was expressed through her art – “Mothers without a Face” (2004) and “Outside the Box” (2006). For several years Nanda pursued these themes, finding uncanny comfort while she waited for her feelings to unfold. Then in November 2011, she discovered a family secret – she had been adopted as an infant.
The mystery of her origins remains to the present date, not changing who she is; but she asks herself, “Who else am I?” While looking for her biological family, her real birth date and a myriad of answers, her art has become a means to express a storm of feelings that she is still working to comprehend.
This exhibit features three themes that come together to create a unique and emotional expression of her life and her unanswered questions: Mothers without Faces, Abstract Spaces and Forces, and Scenes of Brazil are part of many emotionally charged pieces.
Some speak directly to the mystery of her adoption; others reach back to the spaces of her youth. In some, the emptiness within the abstract structures reflects the unanswered questions of her life and identity. In others, the mazes and waves express the turmoil and hidden power within the questions themselves. The scenes of happy people and lush tropical settings from the Northeast of Brazil lend a sense of comfort, because somewhere among these people and places lie her much sought after answers.
The show begins with a reception on Thursday, March 5th from 6-9pm – where there will be a door prize drawn of the artist’s work; the show continues throughout the month. The Dennis R. Neill Equality Center is located at 621 E. 4th Street, in downtown Tulsa.
Founded by a dedicated group of volunteers in 1980, Oklahomans for Equality/OkEq is Oklahoma’s oldest gay rights organization. From testing for HIV/AIDS and hosting the annual Tulsa Pride and Diversity Celebration to operating the Equality Center and documenting the Tulsa LGBT community’s rich history, OkEq works for social justice and full inclusion for Oklahoma’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens and their allies. For more information, see www.okeq.org.
The Gayly – March 1, 2015 @ 1:25pm.