Shawnequa Linder is an African American abstract painter and photographer whose work explores the interplay of urban decay, texture, color, and unlikely elements that can be meshed together to create a unified composition. As Kim Carpenter wrote for Omaha Magazine, Linder describes her paintings as fitting within the abstract decay genre that highlights how visually compelling weathered and worn can be. Working on up to seven paintings at one time, her approach is uninhibited and spontaneous with a loose yet controlled technique. The artist has said that she likes to paint with her fingers because she appreciates the tactile feel of the paint and how it moves about the canvas. In her photographic images, she explores the beauty, layers, and her fascination with the inner city, much like with her painting.
Linder was born in 1972 in Sumter, South Carolina. After relocating to Nebraska, she became a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha in 2004. She earned her B.A. degree in Studio Arts in 2006 from Bellevue University in Bellevue, near Omaha. Her work has been exhibited at Omaha’s RNG Gallery, Hop Shops Art Center, and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts among other venues. Presently, she works as a digital image specialist for a marketing agency.
Shawnequa Linder was included in the exhibition A Greater Spectrum: African American Artists of Nebraska 1912-2010 on view at the Museum of Nebraska Art from December 4, 2010 to April 3, 2011.
Shawnequa Linder is not represented in the Museum of Nebraska Art collection.
2015
