Lava Thomas*

Lot #69
Blues Study No. 2, 2021
Tambourines, acrylic mirror, blue acrylic discs, leather, ribbon
23.25 x 23 x 2 in.
Courtesy of the artist and Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco

About the Artwork

Lava Thomas (Headlands Artist in Residence ‘17) tackles issues of race, gender, representation, and memorialization through a multidisciplinary practice that spans drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, and site-specific installation. The tambourine—associated with gospel music and African American devotional and liberatory practices—serves as a potent symbol and source for ongoing inquiry and interpretation. It is an egalitarian instrument that speaks to our common humanity; anyone can play it without special training, and its history is rooted in cultures around the globe. In the artist’s words, “Blues Study No. 2 draws upon the power of African American music traditions and my childhood experiences growing up in the Black Church, encapsulating both the melancholy of ‘the blues’ and ecstatic, congregational singing—expressions of a people's collective sorrow and joy.” Thomas is the recipient of a San Francisco Artadia Award and a Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant; her work is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; SFMOMA; The Studio Museum in Harlem; and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, among others.

Retail Value: $4,000