Lava Thomas
Freedom Song No. 3, 2019
Pyrographic calligraphy on leather, lambskin, suede, and grosgrain ribbon 38.5 x 28 x 2″
Courtesy of the artist and Rena Bransten Gallery
Market Value: $7,500
LIVE AUCTION! Join us and bid by buying a ticket for our April 6 gala. Bid sheets are also up at the gallery if you would like to visit and place a bid in advance. Or you can contact claire@kala.org for a proxy bid form.
Lava Thomas is a Bay Area-based visual artist whose work explores the events, figures, and movements that inform and shape our individual and collective histories. Central to her practice are notions of visibility, resilience, and healing, and for the past two years she has been focused on the under-acknowledged role of African American women in the Civil Rights Movement.
Freedom Song No. 3 evokes the sense of determination and resilience in the music of the Civil Rights Movement, music that resonates in today’s ongoing struggle against white supremacy. The title of the song “We Shall Not Be Moved” is inscribed in pyrographic calligraphy on tambourines — an egalitarian instrument deployed during protest marches to amplify voices for justice and equality. Freedom Song No. 3 is emblematic of empowerment and individual agency: power placed directly in the hands of the people.
Lava Thomas’ work has been exhibited at the widely in the Bay Area and beyond.
