Paradigm Gallery + Studio is pleased to present Lavender, a solo exhibition of new vibrant oil paintings, sewn collages, and assemblage sculpture by Eustace Mamba. In his first solo exhibition with Paradigm, Mamba will be unveiling a collection that showcases his observations of urban life and reflections on the 250th anniversary of the United States filtered through vivid wonder. In recent years, Mamba has established a studio practice of sewing canvas as a metaphor for making connections between disparate objects to create new forms and narratives. This collection marks a new period for the artist as he improves on his academic training by using more expressive brushstrokes and vibrant pigments in skin and landscape, inserting a magical element into his everyday surroundings. While some of his paintings touch on the tensions surrounding contemporary American life, Mamba hopes to inspire a pedagogical shift that focuses on the everyday American's resilience and perpetual hope.

Deeply interested in history and spiritual folklore, Mamba layers symbols and iconography in his work, inserting international stories that define his identity and his creativity. Philadelphia, as a city, has been vital to Mamba’s art career, but also for cultural exchange as the site of the centennial World’s Fair. The exhibition opens the same week of the Semiquicentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which Mamba recently discovered was not possible without the assistance of the Caribbean islands. St. Eustacius Island acted as a vital shipment hub during the Revolution, allowing American ships to gather supplies among British naval blockades. East of St. Eustacius lies the island of Antigua, where Mamba’s family emigrated from and had to learn to adapt to American life, as alchemized in Mamba’s sewn collages on United States flags. Mamba balances the anxiety of culture clash with the mindset that his family was able to see potential and stability in a new country, which informs the bright and energetic color palettes in his paintings.

Mamba also leans on nostalgia to continue the theme of triumph depicted in bright hues, seen in his works with comic book characters and memories of summertime fireflies. He introduces the concept of becoming your own hero and finding a superpower, which he sees as building your own creativity or finding a moment for peace outdoors. In this age of ever-present technology, Mamba reminds viewers of the regenerative quality of being in nature, with captured moments of a young girl sleeping in grass or two children meditating in a park. This mindset was also present in the founding of Philadelphia, as William Penn’s first plans designated five public parks scattered throughout the city for civilian recreation and access to nature.

The marquee piece of the exhibition, Quiet storm, also inspired the exhibition's title, Lavender. It depicts an observation Mamba had while walking through his neighborhood in North Philadelphia. When a public basketball court forgoes regular maintenance, patches of colored grasses begin growing wildly through the cracks in the asphalt. Although it can be considered unsightly, Mamba marveled at the beauty of the new life on a rugged terrain and saw it as a triumph of growth in unexpected places. This inspired the vision of a field of lavender, a symbol of serenity, growing through concrete and asphalt. Mamba uses his identity and creative imagination to intentionally insert positive energy back into his community and add to the legacy of art in the United States.