In(Corporeal)

This February, The Contemporary Modern Art Project welcomes (In)corporeal, an exhibition touching on the complexities of the human body through the lens of Thomas Donaldson’s figurative paintings. The artist’s work delves into the tension between familiarity and abstraction, challenging us to reconsider how we attempt to rationalize each other’s physical matter with their inner spirituality, and honoring the uncertainty that comes with this separation. We are reminded of the existentialist notion that we can never fully know or experience another person’s reality.  The human body is probably one of, if not the most familiar sight to the human eye. It can be something as personal as one’s own flesh, to something as foreign and extraneous as another’s. We would like to believe we remain firmly acquainted with our own anatomy, however in today’s day and age, our perception surrounding our physique often falls to the hands of what Thomas Donaldson calls “an increasingly over-photoshopped media.” This idea makes up the core of the artist’s paintings which, in complete viscerality, render a familiar suggestion of an old friend, abstracted and hidden by its own uncertainty. This is the term the artist uses to refer to his depictions—a suggestion—rather than an accurate representation of the subject.  This becomes  more apparent as the viewer approaches the work; the figuration dissolves into an incoherent grouping of thick blotches and irregularity in texture. The artist recalls the Gestalt principle of Reification, a psychological theory of perception explaining that our brain mentally fills in missing details in order to form a coherent image, hence we don’t need the complete figure in order to make sense of it. Donaldson works instinctually, applying both thick and thin splashes of impasto, dragging, and smudging the surface to achieve his striking contrast of highlight and shadow. The artist is keen on adopting the process as part of the finalized artwork, relying on happy accidents as a fundamental component of his practice, a term the artist uses to make reference of the impromptu splash or smear that may occur within completion, as well as shameless evidence of earlier stages that linger in the final piece. Glimpses of this are visible in pieces such as 9-3-19 Figure and 12-2-18 Figures. His result is that of a subdued and reflective study on human matter and its tangibility, while acknowledging the existentialist premise that one cannot fully know or experience the reality of another person, and that this separateness underlies our daily consciousness. Fragments and suggestions make up the idea of another person, who is solid and present in front of us, yet we may never truly know or understand.  A British-born artist, Donaldson has lived and worked in Thailand for the last 20 years. His time there allowed for a significant creative process marked by gradual evolution, becoming less expressive and more reflective over time. The artist credits his moving from the United Kingdom as an opportunity to create more reflective and fulfilling work as he gets to work in a more relaxed environment where he truly feels content.
Statement and curation by Sofia Witos