Denyse Thomasos: just beyond

Abstract

"Challenging the limits of abstraction, Trinidadian-born artist Denyse Thomasos (1964-2012) infuses personal and political content into the medium of painting. This is the first ever retrospective publication, dedicated to powerfully illustrating over 75 works from her indelible oeuvre: expansive paintings that address themes of movement, migration, and hybridized identities. Overlapping gridded lines, fluid drips of paint, and geometric objects in her canvases acknowledge the trajectory of minimalism and abstraction, while also embodying the artist's dedication to social justice themes. Through pattern, scale, and repetition, Thomasos was able to convey the vastness of events such as the transatlantic slave trade and mass incarceration, without exploiting the images of those who were most affected by these occurrences. Often monumental, her mural-sized paintings share a visual language with architecture; Thomasos writes "Like a carpenter, I rebuild the fragmented psychology of slave culture, revealing its fragile foundation." A series texts build a new framework for understanding Thomasos' strategic dissection of art historical traditions in painting; her interest in global architectures and physical structures of power and resistance; and highlights her focus on the history of slavery, and her commitment to exposing narratives of systemic racism."-- Provided by publisher.