(New Orleans, LA) JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY is proud to announce Present Memoria, the second solo exhibition of New Orleans-based artist Trenity Thomas. Known best for his narrative, photographic works, the artist unveils his most recent suite of photographs alongside recent paintings in the first-ever exhibition which converges both veins of his studio practice. Photographs in the exhibition serve as inspiration and reference materials for the paintings, which often take a more whimsical or surrealist tone. One medium informs the other as these newest works reflect on the past through the lens of the present.

The artist says of his latest work . . .

“Present Memoria” is focusing on the present while also acknowledging the past. Using my photos as a reference for my paintings allow me to give the photo an alternative view. Reflecting back on childhood memories to add to my artwork has been therapeutic. An element from my childhood is the “Lemon”. My cousins and I would walk around our neighborhood where we came upon a lemon tree, then later make lemonade for our great grandma. Elements like that helped turn my pieces into a refreshing sense of realization on life.

Trenity Thomas is a self-taught photographer who has also experimented with painting and sketching since grade school. Also attending NOCCA, working at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and a love for movies allowed him to fully dig into his creativity. Painting from his photographs allows Trenity to give his pieces more depth and feeling. An alternative look into his vision of the image. Adding details from his childhood is a unique element. Using acrylics, found objects and a new love for oil pastels. As a photographer, Trenity uses his camera to capture the life and composition of still life around him. His photographs have a warmth to them that pulls the viewer into the scene as if they were present - a feature that has become characteristic of his photographic style. Trenity has been in various juried exhibitions, which includes Jonathan Ferrara Gallery’s 24th Annual No Dead Artists International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Art and the Louisiana Contemporary juried exhibition presented by The Helis Foundation at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, Louisiana. Trenity worked as a photojournalist as well for The Cut and LA Times.

The exhibition will be on view from 1 June through 15 July 2023 with an opening reception on Saturday 3 June coinciding with the Arts District of New Orleans’ (ADNO) monthly First Saturday Gallery Openings from 5 – 9 PM.

For more information, press or sales inquiries please contact Gallery Director Matthew Weldon Showman at 504.343.6827 or matthew@jonathanferraragallery.com. Please join the conversation with JFG on Facebook (@JonathanFerraraGallery), Twitter (@JFerraraGallery), and Instagram (@JonathanFerraraGallery) via the hashtags: #TrenityThomas, #JonathanFerraraGallery, and #ArtsDistrictNewOrleans.

T R E N I T Y   T H O M A S   | | |   biography

[lives & works – New Orleans, LA  :::  b. 1999, Westwego, LA] 
 

TRENITY THOMAS is a self-taught photographer who has also experimented with painting and sketching since grade school. As a photographer, he has worked in a myriad of genres including fashion, lifestyle, editorial, conceptual, sports, portraiture, and nightlife photography. As a photographer, Trenity uses his camera to capture the life and composition of still life around him. His photographs have a warmth to them that pulls the viewer into the scene as if they were present - a feature that has become characteristic of his photographic style. 

Trenity Thomas has been in various juried exhibitions, most recently, JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY's 24th Annual NO DEAD ARTISTS International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Art and the Louisiana Contemporary juried exhibition presented by The Helis Foundation at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, Louisiana. His photographs have also received international attention when they were chosen for exhibition in photovogue, a prestigious collection of photographs curated by the Photo Editors of Vogue Italia.