Umoja 2018

Curator: I'm immediately struck by the delicacy, almost like spun sugar, of this portrait. A gentle eeriness too, perhaps? Editor: Absolutely. We are looking at Camilla d'Errico's "Umoja," created in 2018. She primarily used acrylics, which allow for that amazing, almost hyper-real quality, combined with the fluidity of watercolor washes. The artist moves into surrealist territory here. Curator: Hyper-real is the perfect way to describe it! It’s as if a doll has come to life. And those colors that seem to be...melting from her head? Reminds me of looking through a geode. I wonder, what is it meant to be? Tears, perhaps? Or some kind of metamorphosis? Editor: D’Errico’s recurring use of butterflies suggests themes of transformation and the soul's journey. Notice they seem to be resting, alighting almost, on her afro, so they seem like both ornament, symbol, and also extensions of her being. This figure, the singular teardrop trails of color, I see not so much as tears but rivers of cultural and individual experience, her roots flowing outwardly like tributaries. The painting also resonates with "Umoja’s" Swahili meaning: unity. The subject stands amidst swirling pinks, almost the rosy-fingered dawn, so there’s perhaps something bigger here too, some great unifying power… Curator: Ah, unity, I love that. I felt that pull. Her direct gaze, while slightly unnerving at first, holds a disarming honesty that draws you in. This figure transcends, in that sense, just “portraiture.” She's speaking of connectivity. And I admire the quiet strength she exudes amidst this pastel dreamscape. I feel there's more beyond. Editor: Absolutely, an invitation into a complex emotional landscape rendered with dream-like softness. The kind of symbolic unity where vulnerability becomes our strength, you know? Curator: Precisely, now, that is food for thought. Editor: Indeed. An inspiring note to conclude.