Culturalee is delighted to be in conversation with artist Shara Mays, whose work is featured in Flourish: Gestural Abstractions in Bloom, the inaugural exhibition at Ronchini Gallery’s new Mayfair space. The show brings together four women artists from three continents, presenting a powerful dialogue of abstraction and gesture at the heart of London during Frieze Week.
Mays’s practice is deeply rooted in the time and place she inhabits–currently Cartagena, Colombia–where her work reflects on the entangled histories of the African diaspora and their resonances today. For Flourish, she presents a series of works on paper created in collaboration with a women’s paper-making cooperative in Colombia, extending her exploration of materiality and community. Central to her practice is an interest in the ways women across cultures are connected: bound by shared histories, spiritual lineages, and cultural root systems that transcend geography and time.
You’re showing work in Flourish: Gestural Abstractions in Bloom, the first exhibition in Ronchini’s new Mayfair space. Did you create new pieces specifically for the show, and beyond responding to the theme, did the character of the building itself influence your work in any way?
I did create new work for the show. I created three new paintings. They are in alignment with what’s currently going on in my art studio at the moment. I was responding to the time and place where I am living right now – Cartagena, Colombia. I’m truly honored to be in the show with the three other artists. My work has been recently exploring how the stories of the African diaspora are linked. Also, I just did a series of works on paper in collaboration with a women’s paper-making cooperative in Colombia. So, I’m also really interested in how women across all cultures are connected and have a shared bond. There’s a shared history, a spiritual and cultural root system that binds us across geography and time. I was not able to see the building before I finished the paintings. I’m looking forward to seeing the space in 2026, when I will have a solo show there.
Have you crossed paths with any of the other exhibiting artists before, and do you see a visual or thematic conversation unfolding between your works in the space?
Unfortunately, I have not crossed paths with the other artists. However, I most definitely see a visual theme. There is definitely layers of gesture in much of the work, which to me feels like it’s evidence of life and labor. Also, I think all of us are using the language of abstraction to seek understanding and/or renewal. Nature is a source material for all of us as we navigate our human experiences.
The show brings together artists whose practices weave together gestural abstraction, floral motifs, and references to landscape. Could you share a bit about the work you’re presenting, what inspired it and how it came to life in the studio?
I recently moved to Cartagena, Colombia. When I first moved there, I became really interested in the mangroves and banyan trees that grow around the city, and on the surrounding islands. They are similar to the cypress trees that grow alon the Tar River in Princeville, North Carolina, where I am from in the United States.
What struck me most were the prop roots—those visible, above-ground roots that hold the trees steady. That structure mirrors the way I paint; layered, intertwined brushstrokes that seem to reach and wrap like they are searching for connection. The three paintings in the show feel like they are an abstraction of the energy of land. The colors tell a story of vibrancy and interconnectedness.
It’s exciting to see four women artists from three continents coming together in a prominent London gallery during Frieze Week. How important is it to you to see platforms like this supporting women and artists from diverse cultural backgrounds?
It’s really meaningful being part of a gallery that is exhibiting women artists from diverse cultural and geographic backgrounds, especially during Frieze Week. Representation matters—not only because it amplifies our female voices, but also because it expands the conversation around what abstraction, gesture, and landscape can mean. For me, being part of Flourish is an honor. It means our stories are stronger when they are seen in dialogue with one another.” Shara Mays
Flourish: Gestural Abstractions in Bloom is at Ronchini Gallery in London from 16th October until 12th December, 2025.
