"Softly, We Become" and Nicky Raysa's Portrait of Waiting
Artist: Nicky Raysa
Scope: Illustration (Thesis Project)
The works in the exhibition Softly, We Become came into being as Nicky Raysa listened to Monita Tahalea's album Merona. Rather than translating the lyrics literally, Nicky worked her listening experience into a different kind of visual narrative. The figures in her pieces carry gestures that are still and restrained, and they often appear alone. Someone stands at the shoreline holding a bouquet, two figures face each other yet remain separated by distance, a scene unfolds of waiting under the dim glow of a streetlight in the late night rain, or a flock of birds takes flight in search of shelter. Through these images, she tries to capture experiences such as waiting, parting, hoping, and longing that remains unfulfilled.
Flowers appear again and again across the exhibition, moving from a single bloom to two, then to a garden in full blossom in several pieces. This repetition works as a symbol of the courage to keep hoping amid uncertainty. The exhibition leans toward waiting and toward the picture of hope that emerges at the end of that waiting.
What stands out about Softly, We Become is the decision to expand the reach of the exhibition itself. Nicky also brings in animated lyric videos and a range of merchandise as part of the show. This choice functions as an extension of the visual experience on offer.
Visually, Nicky works with a simple approach: outline free illustrations built from flat pastel color fields. This choice creates a naive impression, like childhood dreams that have not quite taken clear shape. Looking at her craftsmanship, her work is still fairly modest. Neither the ideas nor the visuals yet offer a distinctive character. Even so, Nicky's future potential shows through in the moving image work she made for Monita Tahalea. In that piece, the visual movement she created fits well in supporting the mood of Monita Tahalea's songs. This points to Nicky's ability to read the rhythm and emotion of a musical work and translate it into visual motion that stays in tune with it.
The exhibition Softly, We Become marks an important point in Nicky Raysa's artistic journey. It records a process of self recognition, an understanding of everyday anxieties in the pursuit of dreams, hope, and love, and a slow movement toward maturity as a whole and honest human being.
