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
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, ZK/U (Centre for Art and Urbanistics), Berlin
2022 KunstPAUSE: Ausstellung für Junge Kunst, Chollerhalle Zug, Zug (Switzerland)
2022 45th Art Prize of the Sparkasse Culture Foundation, Sparkasse Customer Centre, Karlsruhe (Germany)
2022 45th Art Prize of the Sparkasse Culture Foundation, 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 (England)
2018 Orbit UK Art Graduates Show, Oxo Tower, London
2018 Fine Art Degree Show, Chelsea College of Arts, London
2018 Young Talents Nominees, Tour and Taxis, Affordable Art Fair, 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 and 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 - Centre 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
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 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