Dr David Thomas
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Position
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Associate Professor, Painting
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School /
Work Unit
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Art
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Contact Details
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+(61 3) 9925 3796
david.thomas@rmit.edu.au
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Location
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Building: 39
Level: 3
Room: 45
City Campus
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College/Portfolio
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Design & Social Context
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Key Activities
Born in Belfast N. Ireland in 1951 Arrived in Australia in 1958.
His work is represented in private collections in Australia, USA, France, Germany, NZ, and the UK, and in public collections including: The National Gallery of Victoria, Art Bank, Sydney and Melbourne, Trinity College, The University of Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula Art Centre, Council for Adult Education, Melbourne, Australian Print Workshop, Melbourne, Ballarrat Fine Art Gallery, Print Council of Australia. Archives, the Lefebvre Collection, Sydney, Museum of Modern Art at Heide, Western Mining Collection, Cripp’s Collection (Australia and UK), Chartwell Collection, Auckland Art Gallery, N.Z., Canterbury University, Christchurch, N.Z., Lim Lip Museum, Gong Ju, S. Korea, Wolff Collection in the Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany.
Numerous grants from Arts Victoria, Australia Council. Numerous residencies including AGNSW studio Cite International des Arts Paris France 2000.
Awarded Certificate of Achievement in Research Supervision in the 2001 RMIT University Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Qualifications
Ph.D 2004; MA in Fine Arts (Painting) 1992; Grad. Dip. (Visual Art) 1987; Dip. of Teaching (SAC) 1972.
Research
His practice includes painting, photopainting and painting/installation. His works often employ monochromes and painted reflective surfaces to mirror actual space and time. It engages with issues of duration, perception, complexity and formal language. His practice is informed by Non- objective, Concrete and Conceptual traditions of painting, and addresses being, amid time and space.
He leads The Composite Practice Studio( Time and Splace) Sub group of the Arts Space and Environment Research Cluster
School of Art Research Cluster
Art, Time and Space
Research Outputs
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Exhibitions
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- 2006, Acquisition by Wolff Collection on permanent loan to Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany. (High level research outcomes. Work acquired from leading International professional refereed invitational Art Fair <Art Cologne > 28/10/06-1/ 11/06 by major collection held in one of the leading contemporary art instutions in the world.)
- 2006, Early Fabricated and Double Exposure Centre for Contemporary Non Objective Art, Brussels, Belgium. www.ccnoa.org (Internat’l best practice in the field . Invitation to exhibit in 2 concurrent international exhibitions at the CCNOA supported by City of Brussels and Belgian Arts Council and office of Contemporary Art Norway.)
- 2006, David Thomas Christoph Dahlhausen EIKON nr. 53. Vienna, Austria. (Major 8 page profile of practice research outcomes. Leading major bilingual international journal of art photography and media arts. Edited. World wide distribution)
- 2004, 1st Gong Ju International Art Festival, Lim Lip Museum ,Gong Ju, S. Korea. October 23- Dec6 (High level impact and quality.Leading Korean International Invitational exhibition with focus upon Painting and Sculpture. Catalogue.)
- 2004, Constructed Colour Artspace, Sydney. 9th Sept –22 Oct (Curated by and catalogue essay by Dr Kyle Jenkins. (Original research and high profile exhibition International and australian Artists. An invitational exhibition at public institution featuring Australian and International Non Objective and concrete art.)
- 2001, Painted Spaces.Talbot Rice Gallery University of Edinburgh, Scotland. 102 01- 21 3 01 International exhibition Curated and participation. High quality innovative research with Australian and international artits (touring wall painting exhibition).(Major Impact International artistic and cross Institutional collaboration. Educational outcomes. Wide presscoverage across 3 countries. TV. BBC,Press, Guardian reviews. Australia Council and Arts Victoria grants supported for the development of the project)
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Publications
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- Thomas, D.( 2006) Simple. Complexities: contemporary art practice as a mediator for bridging and celebrating cultural difference through practice based research. Acuads Conference, Melbourne. Refereed paper.Published on Web publication. Monash University, University of Melbourne and RMIT University 27-29/9/06. Dest Recognised
- Thomas, D.(2006) The Composite: David Thomas. Works from This Century. My debt to three Frenchmen in Hats. Paper. Professional Practice Advanced Seminars MFA Program School of Art RMIT 7/7 06.
- Thomas, D. (2004) The Conditions for Art. Essay. Art Book. Dest recognised chapter . School of Art RMIT. Melbourne.
- Thomas, D. (2004) Christoph Dahlhausen’s Light Catalogue Chapter. Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund, Germany.
- Thomas, D. (2003) Holes and the Whole: the Recent work of Seong Kyoo Jeon. Catalogue essay. Moran Museum of Art. Soeul, S. Korea.
- Thomas, D. (2003) Changing Times in Painting 6 Abstract Artists from NZcatalogue essay. Conny Dietzschold Gallery Sydney/Cologne.
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Selected Curations
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- 2007, Composite Realities, Art and Photography, CCP, Melbourne.
11 leading international and Australian artists . One of the first photographic exhibitions to consider the idea of the composite and duration. Exhibition proposal selected by peer review.
- 2006, Alfonso Hüppi (Switzerland), School of Art Gallery, RMIT University.
The first exhibition of the lrading Swiss artist and renowned teacher from the Dusseldorf Kunstkademie in Australia.
supported by Swiss Embassy and Consulate General and Pro Helvitica. With catalogue essay.
- 2005, Christoph Dahlhausen ( Germany) and John Nixon ( Australia), Project Space and Spare Room, RMIT University.
Bringing together of 2 leading practionners of non-objective practice. Catalogue and Essay. Supported by lectures workshops and tutorials.
- 2003, Changing Times In Painting 6 Abstract Artists From NZ, Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney and Cologne.
Bringiing for the first time many leading Nz abstract artists of the younger generation. Many of whom are RMIT alumni. Supported by catalogue and essay.
- 2001, Painted Spaces at the Talbot, Rice Gallery, University of Edinburgh.
International wall painting exhibition. Included leading artists from Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and USA.
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Research Supervision
Robyn Cerretti, MA, Senior Supervisor, “Lightpoems, picturing time in space”
Larissa Linnell, MA, Senior Supervisor, “Exploring the experience of a place through the visual representation of aural presence.”
Xiao Yu Bai, DFA, Second Supervisor, “Blurring the Boundaries: combining a selected painting technique with certain Chinese philosophical concepts”
Robin Kingston, Ph.D., Senior Supervisor, “The Un-Limiting Conditions: An Investigation into the roles of intuitive and rationale thought in the construction of abstract painting”
Sanné Mestrom, Ph.D., Senior Supervisor, “The Power of Place and the Politics of Perception in site-specific and site-responsive art practice”
Greg Creek, Ph.D., Senior Supervisor, “Manifesto Drawing: Art, Cartooning and the language of Political Criticism”
David Sequiera, Ph.D., Senior Supervisor, “Some kind of bliss: geometry, colour and the everyday”
Nicole Huitson, Ph.D., Senior Supervisor, “Untitled Painting”
Paul Ulhmann:Sensations, Ph.D., Second Supervisor, “Painting and the Unfolding Image”
Robyn Hughes, Ph.D., Second Supervisor, Working title: “Gaining ground - painting space: An investigation into transitional space through painting practice.”
