Adam Thomas

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Adam Thomas

Abstracted Instance

David Risley Gallery, Copenhagen

Choreography by Deimante Prišmantaite

Audio Composition by Richard Sides

18 – 21 August 2011

Opening Thursday August 18, 17:00 – 20:00

Performance by Deimante Prišmantaite at 20:00

London based artist Adam Thomas presents new work from an ongoing collaborative and interdisciplinary project as part of his residency at the gallery. Working with the choreographer Deimante Prišmantaite and fellow multi-discipline artist Richard Sides, Thomas’ project explores visual language, numbers, space and abstraction.

Screen grabs from a computer program, which visually models mathematical propositions of the shape of the universe, are transformed into abstract images then enlarged and digitally printed onto silk jersey. Thomas presents four of these digital prints, three of which displayed in varying configurations, one made into a costume to be worn by the choreographer.

On the opening night Deimante Prišmantaite performs a provisional choreographic piece, an adaption of an earlier work for 3 dancers called Remote Within, which explored the relationships and spaces of her dancers’ movement. The new choreographic piece for Abstracted Instance has been developed in response to the images generated by Thomas. It is accompanied by an audio composition by Richard Sides who generated and produced the composition from the digital image file used to print the choreographer’s costume.

The exhibition, including the choreographic work and accompanying audio composition act as a starting point for future instances of the project.

Adam Thomas (b. 1984, Swansea, UK) Lives and works in London. He is the co-founder of Supplement, a project space set up in 2008. He received his BA in Fine Art from Kingston University in 2006. Past solo exhibitions include Colourless green ideas sleep furiously, SPACE London 2010. Young Adam Thomas, Associates, London. 2007.

Deimante Prišmantaite (b. 1980, Lithuania) Lives and works in London. She received her MFA in Choreography from Roehampton University in 2009. Recently she has performed as part of Lived Body-Emboddies Life, Collaborative Dance Experience, Poetic Matters and Parlour Collective.

Richard Sides (b. 1985, Rotherham, UK), lives and works in London. He his currently studying an MA in Sculpture at The Royal College of Art, London, recent projects include The Joyful System... SPACE, London, Gone with the Wind, Raven Row, London and On Revolutions for the Heavenly Spheres, Supplement Gallery, London, all 2011. Since 2010 he is also a curator at The Woodmill, London.

colourless green ideas sleep furiously,
[ s p a c e ], London, 2010

ADAM THOMAS
colourless green ideas sleep furiously

Typically condensing around the visual dimension of language, Adam Thomasʼ
practice suggests new and intuitive models for rendering the art/language binary.
The idea of ʻmakingʼ language – translating it into physical forms coterminous with
the plastic arts – is a crucial theme throughout colourless green ideas sleep furiously.
Handled by Thomas, Language becomes an object, a thing in the world that
demands not only linguistic, but also phenomenological, aesthetical, historical, art
canonical, mythical and personal consideration.

colourless green ideas sleep furiously is a title that refers to a sentence composed by
Noam Chomsky in 1957. While grammatically correct, the semantics of the sentence
are nonsensical.

Four work-groups comprise the exhibition:
1. word-diagram/painting
2. word-diagram/drawing
3. word-diagram/mobile
4. sculpture/book

colourless green ideas sleep furiously is the result not only of Thomasʼ own research
and productivity but a series of open-ended dialogues the artist has been hosting
with a group of linguists based at SOAS, London.



Adam Thomas was born in Swansea in 1984. He gained his BA Fine Art from
Kingston University, London, in 2006. Recent exhibitions include Young Adam
Thomas, Associates, London (2007), All Cut Up (group), Roebling Hall, New York
(2008), Paper Show (group), David Risley Gallery, Copenhagen (2009) and The Little
Shop on Hoxton Street (group), Limoncello, London, (2009).

Adam Thomasʼ colourless green ideas sleep furiously is the third NEU! exhibition at
SPACE. Previous exhibitions were; PROH SOʼ PAH PEER by Richard John Jones
(Sep 09) and What I Believe (a Polemical Collection) by Ruth Beale (Nov 09). NEU!
is an ongoing cycle of solo exhibitions by new artists at SPACE.

Paper Show,

David Risley Gallery, Copenhagen, 2009

Associates in New York,

Philips de Pury, New York 2008

Young Adam Thomas,

Associates, London 2007

Born: Swansea, Wales 1984 Lives and works in London

Education

Fine Art, Kingston University London BA Hons Degree 2006

Solo Exhibitions

David Risley Gallery (Residency ) - Copenhagen - August 2011

Colourless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously / NEU! (Curated by Paul Pieroni) – SPACE – London – Mar 2010

YOUNG ADAM THOMAS – Associates – London - Sept 07

Group Exhibitions

There is no solution because there is no question – Sheffield – March 2010

Short Notice - RCA Sculpture Dept - London - December 2009

Paper Show – David Risley Gallery – Copenhagen – Sept 2009

The Little Shop on Hoxton Street - Limoncello – London – May 2009

Matter of Time - Five Story Projects – London - Nov 2008

Poignancy Passing Muster – Wharf Road Project – V22 – London – Oct 2008

All Cut Up – Roebling Hall – New York - Sept 2008

Ephemera – Modtar Project Space – Copenhagen – Aug 2008

Associates in New York – Philips De Pury – Curated by Paola de Clerico – New York - Mar 2008

Pages – Notice Gallery – London - Dec 2007

Fo sho mo fo – Stanley Picker gallery – Kingston – 2004

Residency

David Risley Galley - Copenhagen - July/August 2011

New School – Komplot – Brussels – March – April 2010

Bibliography

Article | Knight’s Move – issue 2 – Translation – May 2008

Catalogue | Associates in New York – Philips de Pury– NY - 2008

Artist Book | Finite State: Discussion – ed 500 as part of YOUNG ADAM THOMAS

Interview | An interview between Ryan Gander, Rebecca May Marston and Adam Thomas - in two parts - 2007

Catalogue | Graduate Show, Kingston - London - 2006

Publications

Socialist Review Colourless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously, April 2010 - Dan Berry

Garage Land – Winter 2009

ArtWorld – Preview (Emma Puntis Supplement) Sept Issue 2009

ArtWorld – Associates – March Issue 2008

Talks

SPACE, Colourless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously, April 2010 - Artist Talk

Kingston University – Spring 2009 –Artist talk.

Projects

[...] Curator - ongoing (est April 2010)

Co-Founding Curator | Supplement – Project Space – Ongoing (est April 2008)

Art Writing

Some Thing to Believe in - Exhibition Text for Steve Bishop – Pianissimo, Milan Jan 2009

Dazed and Confused - Assistant to Francesca Gavin – Visual Arts Editor – Spring/Summer 2009 Other