BIOGRAPHIES
Tom Isaacs
Tom Isaacs is a contemporary artist and academic living on Wallumedegal land, Sydney. Working primarily in the fields live performance, video, and textiles, Isaacs explores themes of mental health, care, and the profound importance of human relationships. His work is informed by his experience as a neurodivergent person with a living experience of mental health disturbances and intergenerational trauma. In 2022, Isaacs completed a PhD at the University of Sydney researching the relationship between ritual, psychoanalysis and body art, and how these different streams of thought address the problem of alienation.
Highlights from 2024 include:
‘In the Flat Field’ with Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa, a collaborative exhibition at Chrissie Cotter Gallery; Anamnesis Arboretum, a live performance in the National Arboretum Canberra as part of the Canberra Art Biennial 2024; ‘Planning Creatively for your Death’, a public discussion with Victoria Spence as part of the Sydney Festival of Death and Dying 2024; ‘Controlling Chaos: Psychoanalysis, sublimation, and the “guarantee of sanity”’, a live presentation at the Art Gallery of NSW as part of the symposium Louise Bourgeois: Tides and Currents; and, lastly, curating a short program of live performances at Scratch Art Space for Creative Trails Midjuburi.
Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa
Born in Lisbon, Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa is a visual artist who currently lives and works in Sydney. He studied Painting at the University of Lisbon and holds an M.A. in Communication Science from the New University of Lisbon. Rodrigues de Sousa has exhibited his work in several museums, galleries, and independent spaces across Portugal, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Occasionally, Rodrigues de Sousa collaborates with the artist and software engineer Isabel Brison and with Tom Isaacs, a visual and performance artist. Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa is represented by CHAUFFEUR gallery in Sydney.
At the center of his practice is a space that oscillates between symbolism, performative actions, and abstraction, offering many perspectives on the ideas of place, rationality, modernity, politics, and architecture.
DOCUMENTATION
Collaborative works from ‘In the Flat Field’
‘In the Flat Field’, 2024. Installation view, Chrissie Cotter Gallery.
More detailed documentation of the exhibition and an essay (‘Geometry, Kinship and Juxtaposition’ by João Seguro) are available at Nuno’s website.
Installation view from ‘In the Flat Field’ at Chrissie Cotter Gallery.
Vitruvian Ghost, 2024. Single-channel projection. Digital video, 5 min, loop.
Monolith/Messenger, 2025. Felt, wooden stretcher frame.
Vitruvian Ghost on Vimeo WARNING: This video may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.
Extracts from Neotherapeutic Operation (First Attempt), 2024. Video documentation of live performance. Video: Single channel, 1080p, colour, silent, loop.
Works by Tom Isaacs
Tom Isaacs, Shivah, 2023. Video documentation of live performance at Ellipsis Gallery as part of ‘Ad/dressing the Wound’. Single channel, 1080p, colour, silent, loop. Videographer: Cinzia Cremona.
Tom Isaacs, Freud’s Ghost, 2023. Video documentation of live performance at Ellipsis Gallery as part of ‘Ad/dressing the Wound’. Single channel, 1080p, colour, silent, loop. Videographer: Cinzia Cremona.
Tom Isaacs, Pieta, 2022. Video documentation of live performance. Single channel, 1080p, colour, silent, loop. Videography: Motel Picture Company.
Tom Isaacs, Night Soil, 2022. Video documentation of live performance. Single channel, 1080p, colour, silent, loop. Videography: Motel Picture Company.
Works by Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa
Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa, High Rising Blues, 2019. Installation view from ‘High-Rise Terminal‘ at the Australian Institute for Architects, NSW Chapter. Single channel video: Full HD 1080p, colour, silent, 16:9, 3′ 17”, loop.
Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa, Locked Compartment, 2004. Installation view: Galeria da Mitra, Lisbon. Video projection, translucent white acrylic, painted chipboard, 4 wheels. 199 x 80 x 20 cm.
Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa, Intermediate Space, 2009. Installation view: Electricity Museum, Lisbon. Video: single-channel, colour, 4:3, stereo, pal, 10′ 04” loop.
Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa, Overlay in Black, 2009. Video: single-channel, 11’ 36’’ loop.
Tom Isaacs 