Exhibition: Jena Thomas – Acid Summer
In July 2021, 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, S.C., will open a solo exhibition of artist Jena Thomas presenting paintings in oil on canvas and works on paper including collage. The exhibition, entitled Acid Summer will run from July 1 – August 15, 2021. Meet the artist Thursday, July 15, 6:30 p.m. followed by a conversation between the artist and Columbia poet Worthy Branson Evans, at 7:00 p.m.
Born in South Florida, Jena Thomas is a South Carolina based artist. Her abstract landscape paintings explore the contemporary context of how mankind alters and views the natural world. Thomas has exhibited nationally, with exhibitions at the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Boca Raton Museum of Art, The Momentary Museum, Context New York, and Art Palm Beach. Her work has been featured in such publications as Studio Visit magazine, New American Painting and Creative Quarterly. Thomas is a recipient of the Ruth Katzman Scholarship from the Art Students League of New York, Winner of the 701 Center for Contemporary Art Prize and a finalist for Miami University’s Young Painters Competition. Thomas received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA and her Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL. Jena Thomas’s work is currently represented by the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery in Stamford, CT.
July 15, 6:30 PM: Meet the Artist
July 15, 7:00 PM: Jena Thomas in Conversation with Poet Worthy Branson Evans July 29, 7:00 PM: An Evening of Adult Storytelling with Jess Willis and Friends
Thomas’ most recent work explores the human drive to discover, construct, and challenge the natural world. She is interested in the idea of a snapshot as a means to “keep” part of the
world around us. Her subjects emerge from the brush to discover man made, artificially lit buildings and landscapes. These spaces are depicted as enchanting locations and the person within is inherently searching. Constructs such as string lights, fountains, and courtyards further highlight her interest in our urge to elevate the mundane to the spiritual and to find connection and magic in everyday experiences. Whether consciously or subconsciously, the innate drive to “make our mark” on the world motivates the work. Old found family photographs of people, usually boys, are captured in moments of conquest and triumph while hunting, fishing, and cliff diving, and punctuate the presence of human nature and the need to assert our personhood, a natural and universal instinct as we set out to make a place for ourselves.
701 CCA’s mission is to promote understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of contemporary art. With a gallery and live-work space for an Artist-in-Residence program, the Center provides artists with resources to develop, create and exhibit visual arts in conjunction with performing, literary and media arts. 701 CCA also offers year-round cultural programming, including contemporary art exhibitions and events that are free and open to the public. For further inquiries or high-resolution images, contact Michaela Pilar Brown, Interim Executive Director, at [email protected] or (803) 319-9949.
701 CCA is located at 701 Whaley Street, 2nd Floor, Columbia, SC 29201. Please visit us online at www.701cca.org and follow us @701cca via social media.
For Immediate Release September 27, 2021