Tom Gidley
Tom Gidley's paintings can be described as 'psychological portraiture', teetering between figuration and abstraction. The subject often appears to be conflicted or resistant to being represented and viewed — something is always held back or deleted. Backgrounds blend with limbs, faces are altered or erased altogether. Gender is frequently unclear, and beneath the surface tranquility, there is contained chaos. Working in intense and unusual color combinations, Gidley has said that "the relationship of colours in my work are 'unnatural' just as my subjects appear in relation to or against their backgrounds, because all representation is an act of violence and dislocation, to some degree. The fragile nature of identity is central to my art and my writing. I dont think it's ever been more fragile and transient than in this current era, when we are constantly revising ourselves, adapting to social media to create a fictional sense of unity, or the opposite."
Gidley was born in 1968 in Birmingham. After studying at Bournville College of Art, Birmingham and Central Saint Martins, London, he co-founded Frieze Art Magazine. In 1995 he was included in The British Council exhibition 'General Release' at the Venice Biennale, and has shown internationally over the last twenty-five years. …
Tom Gidley's paintings can be described as 'psychological portraiture', teetering between figuration and abstraction. The subject often appears to be conflicted or resistant to being represented and viewed — something is always held back or deleted. Backgrounds blend with limbs, faces are altered or erased altogether. Gender is frequently unclear, and beneath the surface tranquility, there is contained chaos. Working in intense and unusual color combinations, Gidley has said that "the relationship of colours in my work are 'unnatural' just as my subjects appear in relation to or against their backgrounds, because all representation is an act of violence and dislocation, to some degree. The fragile nature of identity is central to my art and my writing. I dont think it's ever been more fragile and transient than in this current era, when we are constantly revising ourselves, adapting to social media to create a fictional sense of unity, or the opposite."
Gidley was born in 1968 in Birmingham. After studying at Bournville College of Art, Birmingham and Central Saint Martins, London, he co-founded Frieze Art Magazine. In 1995 he was included in The British Council exhibition 'General Release' at the Venice Biennale, and has shown internationally over the last twenty-five years. In recent years he has focused on painting, ceramics, and writing fiction. His first novel 'Stunning Lofts' was published by Metronome Press in 2005, and he has recently completed a second novel, 'Peasouper'. Gidley has exhibited in numerous international group and solo shows, at galleries including Eastside Projects in Birmingham; Galerie Simpson in Swansea, Wales; Galerie Huit in Hong Kong; Saatchi Gallery, Limoncello, and Hanmi Gallery in London; New Arts Centre in Salisbury; Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts in New York; the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto; Galerie Diana Stigter in Amsterdam; 303 Gallery in New York; and more.
Courtesy of Galerie Simpson
