Opening reception: Thursday, February 10, 6-8 pm
Derek Eller Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new mixed media works and video animation by Tom Thayer. Spinning narrative through a multi-disciplinary approach, Thayer makes wall-based assemblages which frequently become the props in his animations or his live action performances.
I am trying to create something magical, as opposed to something masterful,” writes Thayer. “Mastery of technique is uninteresting to me. People’s unique voices, opinions, and outlooks are what excite me, and that usually means inventing their own way of doing things and making their tools.” Employing his unique tools, he explores aspects of childhood and the imagination as alternatives to the rationalized and regulated everyday world. Often low-tech in their execution, Thayer’s works channel outsider art, Surrealist sculpture, and Primitivism. As such, they maintain a raw authenticity, fortified by pathos and humor.
Tom Thayer (b. 1970) lives and works in New Jersey. He has performed at SculptureCenter, White Columns, Issue Project Room, and The Museum of Modern Art and was included in the 2012 Whitney Biennial exhibition. He has been included in recent group exhibitions at Stations, Berlin; Tetsuo’s Garage, Nikko, Japan; and WallRiss Gallery, Fribourg, Switzerland. Thayer is an Associate Professor at The City College of New York, CUNY, where he is Director of the MFA program in studio art. This will be his fourth exhibition at the gallery.