Thomas Campbell
The self-taught painter, sculptor, photographer and filmmaker Thomas Campbell splits his time between his cabin-style studio surrounded by a fairy ring of redwood trees in Bonny Doon - a minimally populated area nestled in the mountains above Santa Cruz, California - and traversing the globe making films. Campbell’s artworks combine scribbles and scriptures, taking slogans and anecdotes from his unique vocabulary and juxtaposing them with a profound look into human nature. Influenced by eclectic sources and movements such as the 60s Arte Povera, 90s grunge, and longstanding traditions of American craft, Campbell's homegrown folksy DIY-aesthetic, at once elegant and expressive, as also mythologized by curator Aaron Rose in the 2008-film Beautiful Losers, escapes any formal models of categorization. Blended with personal visual memories, it makes for an eclectic bricolage, from which nomadic symbols emerge and subvert dichotomies between "high" and "low", between what’s printed and painted. Campbell’s work is an eloquent transmutation, a sifting of perceptual views, carrying a wealth of affective or alluding resonances.
Born 1969 in USA
Lives and works in Bonny Doon, California, USA
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021
Spirits in Spacesuits, Eighteen, Copenhagen, Denmark
2020
Lint Basket Supremeo and Unii cion yyikae, Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of
Art – Utah State University, Logan Utah
2018
Apples and Oranges – Neerbea Bae,Mollusk Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2017
We are the Cosmos, Chandran Gallery, San Francisco,CA
Look and Move On, Four Mile Books, Wellfleet, MA
Elimination Communication, Chandran Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2016
Overwhelming Color Fast, Mollusk Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2015
Strewnfield, Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA
Seeing Fatima’s Eyes, Mollusk Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2014
Ampersand, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY
2013
Slide Your Brains Out, Common Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Residential Debris, The Art Park Gallery, Byron Bay, Australia
Work in progress, Santa Cruz Museum of art and history – Solari Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA
2012
Clastic Plowers, V1 gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Slide your brains out, Mollusk gallery, San Francisco,CA
2011
Capture and Release, Half Gallery, New York
“DER” solo collectors showing, gallery A.S., Sydney, Australia
2010
Yar, Gregory Lind Gallery San Francisco,CA
2009
Ummmm, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2006
Yep, Roberts & Tilton, Los Angeles, US
2002
Awakea, Colette, Paris, France
2001
Untitled 2001, Grey Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2000
Exhaust, Alleged Gallery, New York, US
1998
Scuba, 509 Cultural Center, San Francisco, US
1996
Rejoiceism, Herndon Gallery, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio, US
1995
Bliss Treatment in Progress, Alleged Gallery, New York, US
Well Constructed Destruction, Grande Masse des Beaux-Artes, Paris, France
1994
Dios Tiene Sida, Alleged Gallery, New York, US
Star Power, Galleria Arcanes, Rabat, Morocco, North Africa
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022
V1 XX - Twenty years of V1 Gallery, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2020
Art Herning, Group Presentation with V1 Gallery, Herning, Denmark
Today’s Special #1, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
MINE IV, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2019
Mine II, V1 Gallery ,Copenhagen , Denmark
Three Sixty, Lux Art Institute Solana Beach, CA
Now and Then, Common Gallery – Tokyo Japan
Now and Then, China Heights Gallery , Sydney, Australia
2018
Now and Then, The Hole NYC, NY
Group Hang, Gallery 200 San Francisco, CA
Melted City 4, Yui Gallery NYC, NY
Now and Then, The Hole NYC, NY
Tables, Pots & Plants – A song for Matisse, V1 Gallery at VOLTA14, Basel, Seitzerland
Market Art Fair, Thomas Campbell and Richard Colman, V1 Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
2017
MINE, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Over & Over, Glass Curtain Gallery, Chicago, USA
Stay Gold, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2016
Art Herning, V1 Gallery, Herning, Denmark
Talk to the hand, Santa Cruz Museum of art and history, CA, USA
2015
Art on Paper, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY
2014
Miami Project Art Fair at Joshua Liner Gallery, Miami, FL, USA
Expression Session 2 at Artists Republic 4 Tomorrow, Laguna Beach, CA, USA
Hindsight, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2013
This is not music, Friche la Belle de Mai, Marseille, France
Kill two birds with one Stone, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, Denmark
Photo ID, Santa Cruz Museum of art and history, CA
2012
Tonight we won’t be bored, V1 gallery ,Copenhagen, Denmark
Decade, Gregory Lind Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2011
Status- Somewhere Between Position and Condition, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Public Domaine, Gaite Lyrique, Paris, France
La Migra, Vice Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico
Space Cake w/ Kyle Field Park Life, San Francisco, CA
2010
Art Copenhagen, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
The Rule of Typical Things, Gregory Lind Gallery San Francisco, CA
Projections, Curated by Aaron Rose, Roberts & Tilton, Los Angeles, CA
2009
The Winter Group Show, White Walls Gallery San Francisco, CA
One Shot, Werkstette Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2008
London ZOO Artfair, Both V1 Gallery, London, England
ART Copenhagen, Both V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Make Something From Nothing, An exhibition of artworks from the film Beautiful Losers, La Foret Museum, Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan
In the Land of Retinal Delights: The Juxtapoz Factor, Laguna Art Museum, CA, US
There is Xerox on the Insides of Your Eyelids, curated by Rich Jacobs, Nog Gallery, London, UK
The Thread as the Line: Contemporary Sewn Art, Arlington, USA
2004-2006
Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art And Street Culture, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio; curated by Christian Strike and Aaron Rose [catalog]; travels to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA; Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA; The Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, MD; The University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, FL; Fondazione La Triennale, Milan, Italy; Le Tri Postal, Lille, France
2006
Ugly Winners, Galerie du Jour, Paris, France
2002
Burn eternally for your company, The Luggage Store, San Francisco, CA
Scratch of the Serial, ICA, Philadelphia, PA
2001
Move 7, New Image Art, Los Angeles, CA
Sunshine, Alleged Gallery, New York
2000
Move 4 Text, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA
Barbed Wire Heaven, New Image Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1999
The Luggage Store Benefit Show, The Luggage Store, San Francisco, CA
ModArt, Reincarnation Project, San Diego, CA
The Bird Show, Space 1026, Philadelphia, PA
A Four Person Photo Show, Space 1026, Philadelphia, PA
Paper Magazine – 15th Anniversary, Holly Solomon Gallery, New York
Move3 – A Half Frame Show, New Image Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1998
Off The Hook, The Luggage Store,
San Francisco, CA
Always/Forever/Infinity Never-ending (summer), TERRAIN Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
Skatelore Expo, Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA
Move, George’s Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1997
The Independents, Alleged Gallery, New York
Pernod Liquid Art, Mary Boone Gallery, New York
1996
Culture Is Our Business, The Center for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne, Australia; travels to First Draft Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Necessary Evel Knievel, Downtown Art Exchange, New York
Shred Sled Symposium, Thread Waxing Space, New York
Sugar Mountain, White Columns Gallery, New York
1995
City Folk, Holly Solomon Gallery, New York
Dysfunctional, Bluenote Gallery, London, England
The Salon Show, Alleged Gallery, New York
1993
Eye Grind, Gallery X, Los Angeles, CA
E-330 Group Show, Local 101 Galleria, Northern Spain
1992
Minimal Trix, Alleged Gallery, New York
The Degenerates, World Tattoo Gallery, Chicago, IL
SELECTED COMMISSIONS & COLLECTIONS
1999
Societal Scuba Scene #20132, sculptural mural, approx. 20 X 14 feet, commissioned by Max Fish
1997
A Special Education of the Hum, sculptural mural, commissioned by Casio G-shock for the U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach, CA
A Step in the Wrong Direction, sculptural mural, approx. 20 x 14 feet, commissioned by Max Fish
1996
Bow Down and Liberty Blue Store Sign, sculptural murals, approx. 4 x 15 and 3 x 14 feet, commissioned by Echan Takawuki, Tokyo, Japan
Goodzilla, acrylic on wood, 8 x 4 feet, commissioned by Antioch College for The Birch Space, Yellow Springs, Ohio
1994
A Collection of Small Creatures, mixed media on wood sculptures, approx. 2 feet each, The Center for New Diseases, Paris, France
1993
Spring, wall painting, 10 x 17 feet, commissioned by Tangier Hotel, Tafraout, Morocco
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
2013
Cuatros Suenos Picanios, director, 22 minutes
2012
Aberrations of Summer, director, 6 minutes
2009
“The Present”, director and producer, 74 minutes
“Dear and Yonder”, director of photography, 68 minutes
2006
“Death in the sea” w/ Bonny “Prince” Billy and Matt Sweeney director , 4 minutes
2004
Sprout, director, 75 minutes
1999
The Seedling, director, 65 minutes
1997
Ear Eye Data Poop, director, 23 minutes
1996
A Love Supreme, director, 17 minutes
SPED, 35 minutes, Featured artist & contributing cinematographer – film by
Cheryl Dune
1995
“Light Blue Supremacist” artist spot for mtv director-producer arron rose, 45 seconds
1993
“Debunker” 40 minutes, Co-Director video for sma skateboards
RECOGNITION
Creative Director for the independent record label Galaxia, Santa Cruz, CA.
Released records by contemporary artists Tommy Guerrero, Will Oldham, Peggy Honeywell and The Black Heart Procession.
RESIDENCIES
2019 Utah State University, USA
2018 Port Manteau, Mallorca, Spain
2015 Fullerton College, Fullerton, CA, USA
2014 Facebook Residency Program, Menlo park, CA, USA
2013 Art Park – Atlantic residency, Byron bay Australia
2006 Headland center for the Arts, Marin CA
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2007
Whiteley, Mark. “Thomas Campbell.” Juxtapoz April 2007: 54-65
2006
Alsono, Roman and Lisa Eisner. “The Swell Life.” New York Times Magazine
August 20, 2006: 42-45
“Showstoppers.” Juxtapoz September 2006: 60-63
Pagel, David. “‘Yep,’ it’s fun all over the place.” Los Angeles Times August 4, 2006: E28
Leopold, Shelly. “Art: Go.” LA Weekly Vol. 28, No. 36, July 28- August 3, 2006: 58
Patterson, Joel. “Yep.” Transworld SURF Volume 8, Number 7, August 2006: 68
2005
Los Angeles Times February 15, 2005: E4 2004 Hulet, Scott. “Pretty Much: Thomas Campbell’s Evident Hand.” The Surfer’s Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4: 55-71
Beatty, Dustin A. “A Gastric Explosion of Joy With Thomas Campbell.” Anthem 2004: 128-151
2004
Smith, Russell Scott. “Onboard with Skateboarding.” New York Post: West Coast Edition October 2, 2004
Pagel, David. “Fight the System; Search for Beauty.” Los Angeles Times 2004:
, E4 2002
Arron Rose”The non-conformists” Tokion May-June 2002
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