Bryan Keith Thomas,
Bryan Keith Thomas, "Forever Free," 2022. Victorian mourning pins, Tennessee cotton, heirloom bags, antique silk tassel, paper flower, rolling pin, antique hand fan, mother of pearl, acrylic and oil on wood, 21 x 33 x 4 in.


1275 Minnesota St / Anglim / Trimble Gallery

Tufted Cotton is an immersive exhibition that explores the nuance of an ancestral portal through global tapestries and the engagement of black as a color, community, and consciousness. The works, including sculpture, painting, installation, and gallery interventions, celebrate spirituality and the Black experience through the historic symbols of cotton, roses, Church fans, Holy Bibles, text, and the African and African American image. He includes nuances of Asia, India, and Africa as a single community. 

The mirrors, inspired by the Minkisi-Power figures and nail fetishes from central Africa, symbolize desire, mortality, and ancestral protection. The nails hold the energy of a prayer request. The small cloth bags (Heirloom Bags) adorning many of the paintings bear the spiritual and physical memories of the ancestors. In addition, the bags contain seeds, money, crystals, hair, prayer cloths, and more. 

Anglim/Trimble