Torkwase Dyson describes herself as a painter working across multiple mediums to explore the continuity between ecology, infrastructure, and architecture. She works in  in painting, drawing, and sculpture, and her abstract works examine human geography and the history of Black spatial liberation strategies, often grappling with the ways in which space is perceived, imagined and negotiated particularly by black and brown bodies. Throughout her work and research, Dyson confronts issues of environmental liberation and envisions a path toward a more equitable future. Her work was included in the Whitney Biennial 2024: Even Better than the Real Thing, and was the focus of solo exhibitions at ‘T’ Space Rhinebeck, New York, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, and the New Orleans Museum of Art. 

Dyson studied sociology and social work at Tougaloo College, Mississippi, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Yale School of Art. 

Artist talk: Thursday, February 27 from 4:30 – 6 p.m., Manetti Shrem Museum. The talk is open to the public. Doors open at 4 p.m.

Organized by The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residences in the Maria Manetti Shrem Art Studio Program. Co-sponsored by the Manetti Shrem Museum.