Chiffon Thomas USA, b. 1991

This work by Chiffon Thomas debuted in the group show Surface is Only a Material Vehicle for Spirit at Kavi Gupta in 2021, which was guest curated by sculptor Kennedy Yanko. Thomas takes molds of distressed objects and forms from the real world and chooses their materials for their ability to communicate suffering and struggle. Says Thomas, "This is a body that can’t articulate for itself. I visually convey a body being oppressed with materials and using objects as signifiers."

Thomas is a multidisciplinary artist who works in hand-embroidered mixed media paintings and ceramic sculpture. The work mobilizes a mixture of figurative and abstract elements to articulate broader concepts about the body and identity. To create their sculptures, Thomas brings together cast concrete molds and readymade objects, such as milk crates and columns, to create hybrid forms that suggest objectified and demobilized human figures, trapped within, or perhaps breaking free from, fantastical outer shells.

Thomas earned their MFA in Painting from Yale University, New Haven, CT, in 2020. Their work is in the collections of the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Pérez Art Museum, Miami, FL; and Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH, among others. Their work has been exhibited at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL; Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL; School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; and South Side Community Art Center, Chicago, IL, among others. Recent residencies include the Yale Critical Practice Fellowship, Palazzo Monti, Italy; Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME; and ACRE, Steuben, WI.