Destiny of Words
SEPTEMBER 01 – DECEMBER 15, 2016
PRIVATE DINNER & RECEPTION FOR THE ARTIST
SEPTEMBER 08, 6 – 9 PM
In this ethereal exhibition, appropriately entitled “Destiny of Words,” on display at Seed Gallery, Nya′ whispers the profound power of words, which he describes as “the principle of life”
Describing his new work, which the artist states “was birthed upon communing with The Holy Spirit,” the artist eloquently asserted;
“Words are the canvas of every human being’s thoughts, thoughts stir emotions, emotions brush decisions, decisions color actions, actions paint habits, habits frame character, and your character will escort you to your destiny...”
It is indubitable that Nya′ sees his work as a didactic tool that visually reminds us of the sole intention and reason why God created Man; which, according to the African contemporary artist and as stated in the Scriptures, is to “dominate, subdue, multiply and replenish the earth with the power and authority of His Blessing, or THE BLESSING OF THE LORD.”
Nya′ further asserts that Man (male and female) can only fulfill his sovereign assignment successfully by realigning with His Creator, discovering his divine purpose and using his faith to release his potential and the gift deposited inside him.
Textures, color and materials reminiscent of the African landscape, e.g. Kalahari turquoise and cowrie beads as well as preserved seashells reminiscent of the Namibian desert are painstakingly interweaved to add heft and tact to his complex compositions.
In the only work in the exhibition from his “Above the Horizon” series entitled “Victims of Faith,” Nya’ skillfully narrates and unconventionally arrays congenital African mythology in a dignified manner that intently captures the essence without being predictable, pretentious, simplistic, or jarringly obvious.
Employing an incandescent palette, comprised of scintillating oranges, vivacious tones of adobe red, a spirited range of earthly sienna and shades of purple and celestial blues, “Victims of Faith,” painted in 2003, assimilates modernist elements into a post-modern style that meets all the progressive mainstream criteria while projecting a highly subjective sense of African identity. Evoking the vibrancy of the work of American colorist, Piet Mondrian, the fluidity of line and clarity of intention of the German Maestro, Paul Klee, the two dominating figures in the foreground, composed of cut-out paper and frozen in a jubilant dance highlight the victory of Faith over fear, Good over evil, and Light over darkness.
Every symbol and material employed by the gifted African contemporary artist has been carefully considered and as he states in the pamphlet that pays homage to the collection;
“My materials always have a profound meaning; they articulate a period in time, either past, present, or future.”
Nya’ does not only work with unconventional painting surfaces, diverse parchments and sackcloth, wood, animal hides and muslin. He also uses integrative techniques such as oil transfers of drawings primed with water-based paste, chalk, plaster of paris, gouache, tempera, natural pigments and glazes, either alone or in combination. As a result, his work assumes a genuine and dynamic character within which Nya’s uniquely pictorial worlds unfold.
Seed Gallery Press
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