Photographer Sonja Thomsen discusses her work, its evolution and her influences Wednesday, April 28 in the Lawrence University Visiting Artist Lecture Series address “Sonja Thomsen Exposed…”
The talk, at 4:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium, will be followed by a question-and-answer session and reception. The event is free and open to the public.
Using the flatness of photography to highlight the subtlety of perception, Thomsen’s work is experiential and evocative. Her photographs, focusing on natural elements such as the surfaces of water and oil, have been featured throughout the U.S., including exhibits in New York City, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Madison.
Mary Louise Schumacher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described Thomsen’s images as “acts of devotion.”
“They are evidence of a humane artist developing a new visual vocabulary,” wrote Schumacher. “Charged with quiet metaphor, they betray a set of treasured beliefs about youth and sensuality, about nature and wonder, about aging and loss.”
In 2006, Thomsen was one among more than 40 photographers who founded the Coalition of Photographic Arts, a non-profit Milwaukee group devoted to promoting the growth, appreciation and creation of contemporary photography. Thomsen teaches at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.
Her visit is sponsored by Lawrence University department of art and art history and the Photography Club.
