Thomias Radin Gwada Memory, 2024

Thomias Radin's diptych Gwada Memory consists of two paintings executed in oil on linen held in artist's wood frames. The two canvases are placed one above the other. The upper canvas features the head of a Black figure whose hair has been braided into cornrows. The figure's head is lowered to its chest and its torso and chest are rendered as if they were a hilly mountain. Behind the figure gently cresting waves meet a green-blue horizon. The lower canvas features the feet of a figure whose skirt is decorated with hills similar to those depicted in the upper canvas. However, the feet are painted in an earthy brown and rendered in loose expressive brushstrokes that suggest movement. In particular, the right foot (as seen by the viewer) is poised in a position specific to the traditional Gwo Ka dance of Guadeloupe. The painting is modelled after the feet of Lena Blou, one of the most important teachers and advocates of the practice who has succeeded in elevating it from folk dance to a serious art form. 

Gwada is the name used by locals to refer to their island of Guadeloupe. Although Radin moved to France as a child, he has continued to travel back to the island to visit his family and seek his routes. Many of his works celebrate the history and his memories of Guadeloupe as well as the music and dance of the island. In this painting the artist seems to anthropomorphize the island as a celebration of the bounty of the island itself and the culture created by its people.