Mildred Thompson: Frequencies

Step into a world where scientific theory meets artistic expression through vibrant swirls of color and intricate compositions. The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (ICA) presents Mildred Thompson: Frequencies from May 10 through October 12, the most comprehensive solo museum exhibition to date for this pioneering American artist.

This extraordinary survey brings together approximately fifty works spanning four decades (1959-1999), showcasing Thompson's versatility across paintings, sculptures, etchings, drawings, assemblages and musical compositions. Throughout her career, Thompson drew inspiration from both scientific research and abstract expression to explore the boundaries of human perception, visualizing everything from microscopic particles to the vast cosmos.

Visitors will journey through Thompson's artistic evolution, beginning with her early figurative drawings and etchings created during her time in Germany in the late 1950s. The exhibition continues through her architectural Wood Pictures series of the 1960s and 70s—minimalist compositions crafted from found wood—and her vibrant Window Paintings (1977) that frame abstract spaces in bright colors.

The showcase highlights Thompson's innovative printmaking and drawing techniques, featuring her Death and Orgasm series (1978) of intricate intaglio prints and expressive watercolors depicting celestial constellations. Her later works delve into invisible forces, with paintings inspired by particle physics, quantum mechanics and magnetic fields.

A special feature of the exhibition is a significant selection of Thompson's Heliocentric Series (c. 1990–94), on display together for the first time in over three decades. These works appear alongside her monumental Music of the Spheres (1996) paintings, each depicting a different planet and accompanied by Thompson's original electronic music compositions collectively titled Cosmos Calling.

Curated by Stephanie Seidel, the Monica and Blake Grossman Curator at ICA Miami, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience the full breadth of Mildred Thompson's multifaceted artistic vision that transcended prescribed identities and explored the unseen forces shaping our universe.