NEFELIBATA — Sarah C. Ferguson

NEFELIBATA
August 7-28, 2021
Wally Workman Gallery
Austin, TX

ARTIST STATEMENT

Nefelibata is a Portuguese word meaning cloud walker, derived from 'nephele' (cloud︎) and 'bat︎︎ha︎' (︎a pla︎ce w︎here y︎ou ca︎n walk). To be a nefelibata is to be a dreamer; to look at the world through an atypical lens and envisage potential, even in the most unlikely of situations. From a purely personal perspective, nefelibatas realize that the inevitable shifts occurring in our world today require a deep, reflective dive into how our past and present will inform our future.

These paintings are separated into two contrasting rooms, THE LIGHT ROOM and THE DARK ROOM, yet unity is found in a familiar sky blue center. Drawing inspiration from both our natural world and the outer ether, each piece is a lover of the next, producing infinite combinations of light and color in a series of systematic compositions that produce visual effects of surprising subtlety. Viewed collectively, the works elicit a mirroring of what we see in others and ultimately ourselves - like falling in love or the moody sky reflected in a glassy sea - offering an awakening of heart and mind.

THE LIGHT ROOM