Eight Arms to Hold You, 2026

Solo show by Nora Thompson of The Rots

Opens online May 23, 2026

About the show: Lately I’ve been wrestling with the same recurring question: what place does making gentle art have in such a difficult moment? How can I justify making it in a world saturated with outrage and despair, and doom-scrolling feeds on urgency and noise?

I’ve come to realize art doesn’t wait for things to get better. It shows up because things are hard. Rather than offering answers, I’m finding my paintings lean into tenderness, care, and presence as a valid response in a moment when those things feel fragile and necessary. My creatures offer resistance by slowing things down. They don’t attempt to explain the darkness. They don’t try to conquer it. But they will sit with you right in the middle of it.

Eight Arms to Hold You is not about escape; it’s about the quiet willingness to stay—with empathy, with thoughtfulness, and with the small comfort of just being held. I’m hoping my paintings invite viewers to pause, to breathe, and to feel held by something strange, sweet, and sincere.

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Get to know Nora and browse her work for Cactus Gallery:

https://cactusgalleryla.com/collections/nora-thompson

* The gallery is open to installment plans to help you grow your collection. Contact sandra@cactusgalleryla.com for layaway info.

* Listed price does not include shipping fee. Shipping cost will be calculated on an individual basis once address is confirmed. It will be invoiced separately. Shipping will begin at the end of June.

* Art purchases can be mailed most anywhere (see above), picked up in Eagle Rock (Northeast Los Angeles, CA) or delivered if within 10 miles of Eagle Rock, CA.