Ray S. Thomander is a Colombian American visual artist living and working in the SF Bay Area, CA. Her paintings and sculpture activate an exchange between childhood and adulthood in objects that straddle the inoperable and utilitarian, opening the door to a fantastical realm. The sensory elements in the artwork are opportunities for audience engagement, and emphasize the tactile, sonic, or visual capacities of the mediums. Objects are swept into a cycle of rhythmic improvisation where color and texture merge with her vision to mutually compose and leave impressions on the body. Her gesture to the utilitarian manifests an embodied sensory practice, reorienting the relationship to familiar and familial objects.
Thomander has exhibited at Eleanor Harwood Gallery, SF, CA (2025); Gallery 16, SF, CA (2025); Personal Space, Vallejo, CA (2024); Tropical Contemporary, Eugene, OR (2019); Guerrero Gallery, SF (2018); CTRL+SHFT, Oakland, CA (2017); Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA (2016); SOIL Gallery, Seattle, WA (2020); New Harmony Contemporary, New Harmony, IN (2023); Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, SLC, UT (2023) and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA (2018). She was an artist in residence at the Elizabeth Murray artist residency (2021 and 2024) and the Goldey House Residency (2025).