Tie it Up Inside 2020

Monica Ikegwu made this painting, ‘Tie it Up Inside,’ with oil paint, using lots of layers. I just know it! The color palette is so warm and inviting. I can imagine her, standing in front of the canvas, mixing her colors, and building up the image gradually, adjusting and refining as she goes, always trying to get it just right! I love the gesture of the hand as it holds the necklace, it is so very telling! It communicates a powerful emotional or symbolic message, a gesture frozen in time! It makes me think of other artists that use these frozen gestures to convey a message, maybe someone like Caravaggio? Like all artists, Monica is in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring and being inspired by the creativity of others. This painting is an act of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple readings and meaning over fixed readings.