‘Packaged Black’ is a multimedia conversation between two artists.
“Exceeds the individual parts,” curator Nina Bozicnik said.
“When I walked into the room and I saw everything, I realized that it was so much more dynamic than anything I could’ve hoped for,” Seattle Artist Barbara Earl Thomas said.
Thomas is co-presenting her all-new work here at Henry Art Gallery with another acclaimed Black artist, New York’s Derrick Adams.
“There is something very pure and honest about our exchange and it revealed itself in the exhibition,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ ‘Transition Room’ surrounds the visitor with a playful dance of light and form, while her breathtaking centerpiece, ‘Cinderella Redressed,’ a huge royal gown she and her team fashioned from intricately cut Tyvek (a building material used to cover home exteriors) and colored fabric, reimagines a fairytale.
“Sometimes, in order to see yourself, you have to make yourself a little bit bigger than life,” Thomas explained.
Thomas and Adams shared the design of one installation that swirls the room with projected images set to the rhythm of classic pop music.
“This sort of otherworldly environment,” Bozicnik said.
It’s a space where it seems anything is possible.
“An opportunity to be part of the kaleidoscope of what the world offers,” Thomas said.
‘Packaged Black’ will be on display at The Henry through May 1.
“It’s a full-body experience to come see the show,” Bozicnik said.
