Walking into my youngest sibling’s apartment in May this year only days after she unexpectedly died, I was immediately struck by this large painting hanging on the wall amongst other works of art she created over the years. I hadn’t visited Sofia’s new apartment given we lived in different cities, and in our phone conversations she didn’t discuss her art work.
Art is personal and our perspectives unique. At approx 1.2m square the sheer magnificence of the colours and sparkly dresses on these thin black women with almost creepy dangly arms were captured my attention. Given her stressful career as an advisor for policies in government, I knew she dabbled in art over the years, but not to this extent.
We will never know what this painting represented – of 2 black women seemingly sitting on sand against a backdrop of a disappearing sun. We can only guess that maybe it was a representation of her and her twin sister? Or maybe of 2 dark yet vibrant personalities that may have represented her or aspects of her life? Or it could simply be that she was drawn to an image of 2 beautiful black women sitting together chatting before heading out for a night out. As you can see there is the ugly (again referencing the dangly arms) and the beautiful (the glamourous outfits) in this photo. I was so surprised to hear from her partner that she glued every single sequin on by hand. And if you saw the magnitude of the painting, it would blow your mind too at the patience and time it would have taken.
I just loved the way she drew the black women in abstract form with one crossing her legs, and then added the beautiful detail of the dresses with the 2 toned coloured sequins to give dimension and depth. The patterned sequins turbans on their heads, the arm candy and anklets are such a fun addition. Sofia balanced out the ugly and the beautiful perfectly that I selfishly claimed this painting for myself and named it Sisterly Love.
To channel my pain into something creative, I curated this outfit to complement this work of art as I have done in the past with other posts on Art & Fashion including The Aboriginal Art of Style and When Art Meets Style
Sofia, you are painfully missed and forever in our hearts. I will treasure this painting for the rest of my life. Thankyou for allowing me to share this with the world.
Sofia Marmotta – 28/3/73 – 17/5/22.
Gessica X
Oh what glamour is this dazzling strapless dress covered all over in golden sequins with a fluid silhouette that falls elegantly to the floor and flares out at bottom allowing ease of movement as you dance all night. The addition of the black long gloves represent the black arms of the women. The feathers are all about the fun these 2 women seem to be having by dressing up. The cuff on the arm as is in the painting and to me representing strength. Under the dress is the hidden gem – turquoise jewel sandals, which represent the jewel anklets in the painting – and also symbolises Sofia’s hidden talent. The turquoise in the earrings and sandals are in keeping with the turquoise coloured sequins in the painting. I kept the shoes flat as it seemed the perfect choice to wear this to a glamorous beach or desert party on sand which is what it seemed these 2 women were attending perhaps? Or were they dressing up for the sheer fun of it? Interpret it as you desire, but one thing for sure, Sofia had elegance and fun in mind when she created this piece.
- Gold dress by Carolina Herrera
- Opera Gloves by Cornelia James
- Beaded turban by Mary Jane Claverol
- Jewel sandals from Dea Sandals
- Feather bag/ earrings/cuff are from archives.
