Marika Thunder, a New York–based artist born in 1998, is known for her often surreal and haunting paintings that capture the essence of unexpected moments and scenes. Thunder has been devotedly refining her artistic prowess by delving into subject matter intimately linked to her experiences.

In her most recent exhibition, Texas/Yeshiva at Nina Johnson in Miami, Thunder conveyed seemingly disparate themes with a deft hand, portraying the solemnity of an all-boys Yeshiva boarding school in New York alongside the lively, boisterous ambiance of a beach-town street fair in southern Texas.

Thunder is now expanding her investigations into belonging and community in a new direction, focusing on the dynamic but often complex relationship between humanity and machines through a neo-futurist perspective. Her ceaseless pursuit of understanding the fundamental aspects of the human mind that unite us all, the impact of artificial intelligence on daily life, and the innate drive that fuels us regardless of circumstances, is vital to her artistic vision. The artist explains, “I try to track the consistent underpinnings of how a person develops within their community. No matter how different the circumstances, our innate drive leads us to seek purpose and passion.”¹

Note

1. Kevin Claiborne, “Artist to Watch,” Mercer Contemporary, September 1, 2022, https://mercercontemporary.com/news/, accessed February 2, 2023.