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.
I hope everyone is staying safe and sane during this difficult time. Although winter has not yet ended I have taken advantage of the most recent Covid restrictions to do some early spring cleaning. I have updated this long-neglected website and gone back through my archives and tidied things up as much as I can. … More Loose Threads
This March I am participating in a two day program of performance art by artists affiliated with base-metal. The performances will take place at Scratch Art Space over the weekend of March 5th & 6th (from 11 – 5pm) as part of the Marrickville Open Studio Trail. The address is 67 Sydenham Rd, Marrickville. I’d love for you to come … More Intercessions Open
My work Hypercube was recently included in the exhibition Colour, Line, Form at Articulate. It was accompanied by text explaining the work: Hypercube is a projection of a four-dimensional object which cannot be fully realised in three-dimensional space. By executing the hypercube in the style of Sol Lewitt’s open cubes I hoped to engage with his ideas about conceptual … More Colour, Line, Form
I was recently invited to perform For those who’ve come across the sea in the glass cube, at The Oxford Art Factory, over two nights for their Free Fall program. It was accompanied by text explaining the work: For Those Who’ve Come Across The Sea is an exploration of Australia’s troubled relationship to the sea and migration, … More Free Falling
I was recently invited to perform Prima Materia at Top Ryde City as part of the Hungry for Art Festival. It was accompanied by text explaining the work: Prima Materia is a performance piece that involves the simultaneous creation and destruction of the painting space. The old is continuously destroyed to make way for the new. The artist is … More Hungry for Art
I have been invited to present my performance piece Prima Materia as part of the Hungry for Art Festival in Ryde. The performance will take place at Top Ryde City on Saturday, August 24 from 11am – 3pm. Tom Isaacs is a local performance artist and sculptor. His practice is an exploration of art … More Hungry for Performance Art
I was recently invited to perform All Creation for Cementa 13, held in Kandos, NSW. My performance was accompanied by text explaining the work: As a Christian artist I draw my identity as a creator from God in whose image I was created. I believe that the true purpose of art is the same as … More Cementa 13
My work Eat, and live forever was recently exhibited in Eat Your Art Out at Articulate. It was accompanied by text explaining the work: In Greek mythology, golden apples were said to be found in the garden of the Hesperides belonging to the goddess Hera. These apples granted immortality to any who ate them, but … More Eat Your Art Out
I’m having a solo show at SNO: Alchemical Abstraction The opening is on Thursday, March 29 (from 6 – 8 pm) and the show runs until April 29th. The address is Level 1, 175 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville. I’d love for you to come along and check it out. The use and study of sacred geometry … More Alchemical Abstraction
I was recently invited to perform Shekinah Glory in the glass cube, at The Oxford Art Factory, over two nights for their Free Fall program. It was accompanied by text (which I have since expanded upon) explaining the work: For this performance I stood in a glass cube, surrounded by smoke, with my face covered in … More Free Fall
Tom Isaacs 