Norbert Thomas

1947, Frankfurt nad Mohanem, Germany

Závodný Gallery presents the renowned German artist, Norbert Thomas, through several cycles of his works continuously created from the 1990s to the present. The very recent cycle was conceived directly for the specific space of the Závodný Gallery.

The work of Norbert Thomas is focused on the fragile relationship between randomness and order, between system and chaos. He developed several criteria that form the principles of his artwork:

1. structure creates order
unbounded, unlimited structures are order without borders, the system is not as tangible

2. only if a structure is defined and limited by a clear intention, the basis of an order can be seen

3. the limits are necessary, only they can create a shape
only then the arrangement of the structure can be seen

Norbert Thomas always works in series which are involved in specific problems, such as the system and the logic of repetition of line and strip motifs or creating constructs that evoke simple rasters, grids. He is also interested in objects and models placed in architectural space, often made of metal and steel. Equally he is intrigued by wall reliefs, whose precise geometric shapes reveal that they were created in a strictly defined logic system of reduction using a certain playfulness in their colouring. As a result, the installed reliefs appear to look very light, almost casual.

Nevertheless, once these geometrical shapes are drawn on a handmade paper with acrylic paints, they appear very haptic and fragile. This is due to the way Norbert Thomas works with the brush, it increases the sensitivity of the final piece. From the thick carton he scraps and tears off parts of the geometrical painting, the structure becomes less concrete but still obvious to the viewer, creating the illusion of a random layout.

Norbert Thomas studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kassel from 1969 to 1974. He participated in a number of studio internships, e.g. in Santa Cruz, Tenerife / 1982-85 /, New York / 1995 /, Madrid / 2000 /, Istanbul / 2004 / Berlin / 2009 /, Montevideo / 2013 /. Since 1987 he worked as a university professor /Bielefeld 1987-1991, Wuppertal 1991-2016/. Texts about his work were written by renowned authors such as Eugen Gomringer, Hans-Peter Riese, Eckard Neumann, Peter Voklwein etc.

Norbert Thomas currently lives and works in Essen, his artwork is represented in many public and private collections around the world.