Tom Isaacs is a contemporary artist and curator working primarily in the fields of performance and textile art. His practice draws from psychoanalytic theory, philosophy, religious and ritual practices, and art history to explore themes of mental illness, mortality, and the human condition. He is currently a PhD candidate at Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney University, researching the relationship between ritual, psychoanalysis and body art, and how these different streams of thought address the problem of alienation. Recent exhibitions include: 'SEWNUP' at Lyttleton Stores curated by Fiona Davies in 2020; 'BLUE' at Blue Mountains Cultural Centre curated by Beata Geyer in 2020; and BLUE TOO at WAYOUT curated by Beata Geyer in 2021.
INTRO Hi there, As you may already be aware, I currently have the luxury of a beautiful (and spacious) studio space at Westward Cottage courtesy of the City of Ryde. One of my goals during this residency period (Oct 2025 – Oct 2026) is to take advantage of this space by hosting a variety of … More House Moves EOI
Hi everyone, As part of my residency with the City of Ryde, I’ll be delivering a series of free workshops for people of all ages and skill levels. How It Feels is a hands-on creative workshop series that invites the community to explore emotion through making. Guided by artist Tom Isaacs, resident artist for the City … More New Workshop Series: How it feels
Hi everyone, I hope you’re all well! I have been busily working away at a number of different things recently. Today I’d like to share a few of the things that I’ve been doing. How it feels Each Monday and Tueday afternoon, during my open hours at Westward Cottage, I’ve been giving myself two hours … More Westward Cottagecore
Please join us for an evening of poetry celebrating grief and love. With feature poets, and an open mic for you to share your own stories, this will be a forum for yarning and laughing and crying together. Bring your fondest memories and your sharpest hurts. This evening is hosted by City of Ryde Artist-in-Residence, … More Grief + Love
Hi everyone! This is just a short blog post to highlight the success of my new ‘Thursday admin policy’. The admin goblin (me) has successfully uploaded two new pages today: Our Glorious Dead (2025) and ‘In the Flat Field’ (2024), my collaboration with Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa. If the admin goblin keeps going like this, … More Thursday Admin
Hi everyone, The first month in Westward Cottage has already flown by! Since my last post, I’ve spent a bit of time moving my things over (with help from Jenna, Chloe and Eddy) and then settling into the studio: Now that I’m more-or-less settled in, I’ve resumed work on my latest project. For the first … More November News
Hi all, I have some exciting news to share: I have been appointed the resident artist for the City of Ryde for the next twelve months! For the duration of this residency period, I will be working in a new studio: Westward Cottage, a nineteenth century workman’s cottage with an interesting history. On Tuesday, I … More Resident Artist
I had a great time earlier this year, running workshops for the City of Ryde with my good friend Anastasia Parmson. I am excited to share the following message about an upcoming showcase of the artworks developed during Ryde’s workshop series:
Hi friends, I’m very pleased to announce that the City of Ryde have invited me to facilitate two workshops in March as part of “Common Threads”, a unique community art initiative celebrating cultural diversity and connection. Participation in the workshop is free, but spaces are limited so register now to secure your spot. Head to … More Common Threads Workshop
At the start of every year I say, “I’m going to do less this year…” And then I don’t. ‘In the Flat Field’ is all wrapped up (more or less) and I’ve already got another busy month (or two) ahead. In this blog post, I’d like to share three of the exciting projects that I’m … More September Announcements
Tom Isaacs 