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Emily Thomas is an emerging visual artist and woodworker, exploring architecture as an indicator of place identity. She studies the history, society and culture of particular places, initially through the thematic features of buildings, as well as their structural forms, materiality and colour. She uses photography to document her observations of these characteristics and carries out academic and social research to inform, contextualise and reaffirm her findings. Taking her practical and theoretical studies into consideration, Emily then selects her most informative photographs to make collages and inspire drawings. This allows her to study the images further and develop conceptual ideas that kickstart structural designs representative of a particular place. 

 

Emily’s curiosities in different environments emerged when she moved from the British countryside to London in 2014. Throughout her studies at the University of Arts London, she developed her research of architecture, gentrification and urbanistics, and produced multiple artworks and exhibitions based on the city's infrastructure. Since then, Emily has completed five artist residencies across three different countries. In Taiwan, she explored six architectural genres influenced by invading colonies across time. In Barcelona, she focused on gentrification in El Poblenou due to the 1992 Olympics. Her Berlin residency uncovered new interests and questions about gentrification and affordable housing that led her to move to the city in 2020. Emily is now based in Berlin and preparing a new body of work that explores innovative ideas to improve quality of life in cities.

 

Defined somewhere between sculpture, painting, object and architecture, Emily’s final artworks encourage the viewer to question social, cultural and political issues, their influences on architecture and architecture’s resultant impact on society today.

 

EDUCATION​

2015 - 2018 BA (Hons) Fine Art, Chelsea College of Arts (University of Arts London)

2014 - 2015 Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, Camberwell College of Arts (University of Arts London)

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023        KALEIDOCITY, COCO-MAT, Berlin

2022        Outside In / Downside Up, Ortstermin Arts Festival, ZK/U (Center for Art & Urbanistics), Berlin

2021        In the Melting Pot, Homesession, Barcelona

2019        Shapeshifter, Soulangh Cultural Park, Tainan (Taiwan)

2019        Emily Thomas, GlogauAIR Showcase Window, Berlin

2019        London is Open, Global 12 Festival, Cargo, London

2018        Hackney, I love you. I lost you., Hoxton Cabin, London

2018        Disintegrating Space, The Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton (England)

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022        OPENHAUS November, ZK/U (Center for Art & Urbanistics), Berlin

2022        StART Emerging Artist Prize, Saatchi Gallery, London

2022        BAAM #3, Monopol, Berlin

2022        OPENHAUS September, ZK/U (Center for Art & Urbanistics), Berlin

2022        Transtopia, Chilean Conexion Arts Festival, Monopol, Berlin

2022        KunstPAUSE: Exhibition for Young Art, Chollerhalle Zug, Zug (Switzerland)

2022        BAAM #2, Monopol, Berlin

2022        the booth without an art fair, SET Woolwich, London

2022        45th Art Prize of the Sparkasse Culture Foundation (Winners), Sparkasse Customer Centre, Karlsruhe (Germany)

2022        45th Art Prize of the Sparkasse Culture Foundation (Finalists), Online, (Sparkasse Karlsruhe)

2021        6th International André Evard Award, Kunsthalle Messmer, Riegel am Kaiserstuhl (Germany)

2021        Winter Open Exhibition, Heart of the Tribe Gallery, Glastonbury (England)

2021        Touch: The Politics of Physicality, ACall Festival, Hackney Downs Studios & Netil House, London

2021        7th European Artist Competition, Online (European Union)

2021        Open Studios, Konvent, Berga (Spain)

2021        Women Art Prize / X-treme, Online at e-mERGING a r t i S T S (funded by Neustart Kultur)

2021        X-treme, Online at e-mERGING a r t i S T S (funded by Neustart Kultur)

2019        Birthday Show, La peau de l’ours, Brussels

2019        Open Studios, GlogauAIR, Berlin

2018        Black Swan Arts Open, Black Swan Arts, Frome (UK)

2018        Orbit UK Art Graduates Show, Oxo Tower, London

2018        Fine Art Degree Show, Chelsea College of Arts, London

2018        Young Talents, La peau de l'ours @ Affordable Art Fair Brussels, Tour & Taxis, Brussels

2018        Interim Show, Cookhouse Gallery, London

2018        UAL Olympus Photography Award, Bermondsey Project Space, London

2017        Translations, The Morgue, London

2017        Second Year Show, Triangle Space, London

2017        Director & Curator of Honey, I’m Home, A217 Gallery, London

2017        Liminal Ecosystems, Copeland Gallery, London 

2016        Artists as Curators, A217 Gallery, London

2016        Territories, DLG13 Project Space, London

2016        Cognitive Faculties, IKLECTIK Art Lab, London

2015        Synonyms for Exploration, Cookhouse Gallery, London

2015        CCW Foundation Summer Show, Camberwell College of Arts, London

RESIDENCIES

2022        ZK/U - Center for Art and Urbanistics, Berlin

2021        Homesession, Barcelona

2021        Konvent, Berga (Spain)

2020        La Escocesa, Barcelona

2019        Soulangh Cultural Park, Tainan (Taiwan)

2019        GlogauAIR, Berlin

PROJECT FUNDING AND GRANTS

2023        Stiftung Kunstfonds: NEUSTARTplus-Stipendium

2022        Stiftung Kunstfonds: NEUSTART KULTUR-Stipendium

2020        Arts Council England: Emergency Response Fund For Individuals

2020        La Memoria Artística Chema Alvargonzalez: Award for a funded residency at La Escocesa, Barcelona

2019        Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Tainan City Government: Artist Work Stipend and Fellowship

2019        European Cultural Foundation: STEP Travel Grant

AWARDS

2022        StART Emerging Artist Prize, Saatchi Gallery, Finalist

2022        45th Art Prize of the Sparkasse Culture Foundation, Sparkasse Karlsruhe, Second Place

2021        7th European Artist Competition, European Union, Finalist

2021        6th International André Evard Award, Messmer Foundation, Finalist 

2021        Women Art Prize / X-treme, e-mERGING a r t i S T S, Finalist

2018        New Dawn Risk Commission Prize, Rossi Asiaghi, Winner

2018        Young Talents, Affordable Art Fair Brussels, Finalist

2018        The UAL Olympus Photography Award, Bermondsey Project Space, Finalist

2017        Frontier Economics Commission Prize, Rossi Asiaghi, Winner 

2016        The Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize, Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers & the Lynn Foundation, Finalist

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