Colored Memory – Primary Narratives, an exhibit of original paintings by Boston artist Ekua Holmes, opened on Friday, November 2, in the Nesto Gallery. Part of an ongoing series of collages by Ms. Holmes, her works in this exhibit revisit the joys and challenges of childhood, as re-imagined through adult eyes. The collages examine some of the foundational relationships, games and rules we learn at an early age and apply throughout our lives.
“In my collages, memory plays a central part,” says Ms. Holmes. “In childhood, a loving and supportive community of men and women nurtured me. In everything I create I hear them saying, ‘Remember Me,’ and through my work I honor their legacies by bringing them forward to life with torn and cut shapes of found colors and textures. With these scraps and remnants, assembled like a down-home quilt, I rebuild my world, putting in what speaks to my personal and cultural narrative.”
Ekua Holmes holds a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art, and has received several awards—for her art and for recognition of her community outreach and curatorial efforts championing the Black Art traditions of Boston and the greater-Boston area.
Colored Memory – Primary Narratives will run through December 14. The Nesto Gallery is located in the lower level of the Art and Media Center. For more information, visit the Gallery online.
