Denyse Thomasos (born in 1964, Port of Spain, Trinidad; died 2012) emigrated to Toronto with her family at age six. Following a BA at the University of Toronto and an MFA at Yale University, New Haven, she moved to New York to pursue a painting career and took a teaching position at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Her work sought to narrate the psychological impact of colonialism on people of colour, from slavery to the present day. Extensive travel informed her paintings, frequently referencing cultural objects and architectural forms, including woven baskets, buildings and ships.
Works
Denyse Thomasos at Small Arms Inspection Building
Location: Small Arms Inspection Building
Denyse Thomasos is best known for her large-scale, semi-abstract paintings. Her work often references architecture and structural elements as a means of discussing themes as varied as slavery, mass incarceration, immigration, and urban life. Many of the colours and motifs in her pieces are inspired by non-Western societies, specifically those…