November 26th 2024.
After a 25-year break, Everlyn Nicodemus has recently unveiled a new series of artwork at the National Galleries of Scotland. This exhibition showcases more than 80 of her drawings, collages, paintings, and textiles from the last four decades of her career, which are now on display at Modern One in Edinburgh.
As an artist, Everlyn is a strong advocate for the idea that creativity can be a form of healing. Her work is a response to the oppression of women, the lasting impacts of racism, and her own personal experiences with trauma and recovery. Through her use of bold and courageous colors, forms, and lighting, she invites visitors to explore and question their own understandings of identity, belonging, and faith.
In recognition of this exhibition, the National Galleries of Scotland has acquired two of Everlyn's powerful works. The first, titled "The Wedding 45," is from her largest body of work, created in the 1990s. This intricate and symbolic piece is a representation of the artist's recovery from a mental health breakdown, which she later discovered was linked to post-traumatic stress disorder. The second work, "Eva," was gifted to Scotland's national collection by Everlyn and Richard Saltoun Gallery. This painting, created while she was living in Stockholm, depicts the Old Testament figure of Eve standing on a large red apple with a bite taken out of it, symbolizing her and Adam's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Through this piece, Everlyn explores themes of pregnancy, birth, and the stigmas that surround them, drawing from her own memories of growing up in Tanzania.
For Everlyn, this exhibition is a significant moment in her 40-year career. She expresses that it is a privilege to have her work showcased in Edinburgh, a place she now calls home. As a Black African woman artist, it is rare and unique for her to witness a retrospective of this scale, and she feels incredibly fortunate. Through this exhibition, she hopes to share her artistic journey and resonate deeply with those who experience it.
Born in Tanzania in 1954, Everlyn has lived and worked across Europe since the mid-1970s, eventually settling in Edinburgh 15 years ago. Throughout her career, she has focused on themes of violence against women, personal trauma, and the dehumanizing effects of structural racism. This exhibition will showcase her career, from her earliest works, such as "After the Birth," to her newest series, "Lazarus Jacaranda," which marks the end of her 25-year break from painting. Through this series, Everlyn explores the cyclical nature of life and her belief that art is a form of resurrection.
The exhibition will run until May of next year, offering visitors the opportunity to experience Everlyn's powerful and thought-provoking work. To stay updated on the latest news and stories, you can subscribe to Scottish Field and read the latest issue.
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