Øystein Dypedal (NO)
May 28, 2021
Lea Alstad is a self-taught artist from Trondheim. She paints portraits, people and anatomy, and often uses unrealistic colors and abstract elements to explore the boundaries between realism and expressionism. Her aim is to capture personality and emotions, while at the same time creating a visual resemblance to portray the whole person. She does this by using a combination of oil and acrylics to paint figuratively, before adding additional elements using water based paint and inks, over which she has less control.
Theresa
The subject of Lea´s painting is her close friend Theresa Elise Nøsen Opoku. Theresa is a Norwegian-Ghanaian multidisciplinary-artist and communicator. She grew up in Trondheim but spent most of her childhood in her father's native country Ghana. As a young woman, Theresa spent a lot of energy hiding half of her identity in order to fit in with expectations of what being "Norwegian" is. She used art and music as an alternative way of expressing herself and in recent years has taken more pride in her culture and identity. In early 2020, together with her two sisters, she established the
Afryea Collective - a “safe-space” to exchange knowledge and a platform for female and gender minority-creatives who share Afryea´s values - to strengthen identity, build community and celebrate diversity.
