Birds
Birds move through Thomas-Girvan’s work as recurring presences, appearing across the breadth of form and material. They mark moments of transition and attention, sometimes hovering between stillness and flight; quiet and song. Emerging from the artist’s home and garden in which they are ever-present, they have become an intuitive part of her visual language. At once grounded and ephemeral, they suggest movement while signal memory, freedom, and transformation.
The images below represent a small section of works of various media in which birds feature prominently.
Once Upon a Time: New Works by Jasmine Thomas-Girvan is on at Y Art Gallery from October 17–November 21. At the heart of this exhibition are birds — not just as a motif that appears within this body of work, but its very subject. Drawn from sources as varied as ecological and power struggles to the intimate setting of Thomas-Girvan's own home and garden, birds are the central language through which the show speaks: they are our guides, messengers, and mirrors.
Read the essay by Isis Semaj-Hall PhD, below.