CAMEROON - Marthe Nso Abomo (b.1953) Through our correspondence Marthe and I have become close, fast friends, and this is her first opportunity to exhibit in the U.S. Marthe’s work, like her personality, is vibrant, bold and enchanting. Her bright color palette, whimsy, and use of shapes has been likened to the famous Dutch painter Arp, with whose work she only recently became acquainted. Her subject matter, however, is far bolder and more engaged with society. In La Revolution des Femmes (Women’s Revolution), one of her more somber paintings, Marthe shows four confident women who, she has said, are tired of being dominated by men and have decided to take charge, to fight for change. The bird on the left hand side has been placed there to help the women, in case they falter. Dans ton Nouveau Monde (In Your New World) deals with the tension among young women in rural areas who feel pressured to become more westernized. One young woman who wants nothing to do with the new modern ways is portrayed as a tigress, ready to fight for the old values. When she goes to meet her friends who have tried to convince her to change, she shows up with her traditional dress and habits. Marthe’s two other works in this exhibition also depict strong women. La Danse de la Pluie (Rain Dance), very Arp-like, shows a woman doing a little rain dance in hopes of getting much needed water for the family. La Femme en Jaune avec Bonnet sur la Tete (The Woman in Yellow with a Bonnet on her Head) portrays a dignified UN envoy on mission to discuss erosion in the dry countries of Africa. Both paintings were included in the 2003 edition of International Gallerie, published in India.