Image: Thomas Readett, Complexities, photo: Renee Readett Creative
May 21- June 25, 2021
Artist talk: Friday June 18, 5:30-6:30pm
Workshop: Saturday June 26, 10am-12pm
The Mill is excited to present Complexities, a solo exhibition by artist Thomas Readett. This new body of work uses self-portraiture as a medium for exploring the complexities of contemporary life. Thomas’ self-exploration and personal narratives become opportunities to reflect the wider world, through themes of love, loss, and grief.
Taking inspiration from the Rubik’s cube, Thomas sets the scene of a ‘thinking game’, asking viewers to consider a multi-layered reading of his works. Complexities and connections can be found throughout, with audiences able to bring personal interpretation to their journey through the exhibition environment. Rather than self-portraiture being self-focused, Readett speaks of empathetic connection and creative interpretation of the challenges of 21st century life.
Thomas’ graphic aesthetic is powerfully rendered in black and white, with careful attention to detail. He melds street art style with classical training to produce work that is technical and conceptual. In Complexities he pushes his practice into 3D sculptural space, playing with the pictorial plane and interrupting our usual modes of interpretation. The Rubik’s cube gives us an opportunity to see portraits in flux, opening up the medium (and meaning) to change.
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Perception is a fundamental trait of the creative mind. It allows us to interpret ideas differently to others, bring fresh ideas but also brings a different set of mental and social processes. These processes mean that we have deep and empathetic connections to people and the world around us.
Complexities explores how convoluted the creative mind can be. In this abstracted self-portrait body of work I reflect on the importance of self-expression and how overwhelming the world, life and relationships can be without it. In the world’s current climate all aspects of life have been more challenging than usual, using a form of self-expression has never been more important and, for me, it has become compulsory.
My love of video games and thinking games has driven the development of these works, using these games as a conduit to describe the complexities of connection and reflection. Using a small and technical object known as the Rubik's cube as the starting point, the original thinking game. My Rubik’s cube speaks to the pixel like painted snapshots on the walls and creates an environment to explore and contemplate life, connection, and love.
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Thomas Readett is a Ngarrindjeri man and established artist from Adelaide, South Australia. He is currently working as Tarnanthi Education Officer at the Art Gallery of South Australia part-time alongside his art practice.
Thomas has been a drawer his entire life ever since he was a child, wanting to further his career as a professional artist he enrolled into Adelaide Central School of Art in 2011, and it was then he began painting. This is now his main practice among others. Thomas graduated his study at Adelaide Central School of Art completing his Associate Degree and Bachelor of Visual Arts Degree (BVA) in 2015. During his time at Adelaide Central School of Art he held group shows with fellow graduates and ended the degree with his final body of video work based around ideas of solitude and a personal journey through his identity.
Thomas has since exhibited solo exhibitions Beneath the Skin, Dark Light and latest body of work From Within, which was completed through the University SA and Country Health SA Artist in Residency program. He is a huge advocate for raising mental health awareness and most of his current concepts enforce this. Thomas has recently been working on large scale public art murals across South Australia both solo and collaboratively in events such as Wonderwalls, Big Picture Fest and other large-scale commissions.
Photo: Morgan Sette