Exuding extraordinary vigor, Thomas Houseago manipulates materials like clay, plaster, and stone to manifest surreal, golem-like beings. His creations inevitably evoke associations with the concept of the golem, a being formed from clay and brought to life by a rabbi according to an ancient Jewish legend. Houseago’s figures are imperfect creatures, partly human, partly animal. They are anonymous yet imbued with spirit, simultaneously terrifying and familiar. Through his oeuvre, he strives to erect a monument to the true human experience – a physical counterweight to a culture that is defined by the stylized images portrayed in magazines, TV shows, and movies. Houseago’s work is a fervent plea for preserving the ancient art form of sculpture.
In all of Houseago’s work, the human body and the concept of being human take center stage. His goal is not to create a perfect image, but rather to depict, in an unadorned and raw manner, how a body feels, moves, and is constructed. His work intentionally aligns with a long tradition of sculptors such as August Rodin, Medardo Rosso, Pablo Picasso, and Henry Moore. Nonetheless, he has developed his own unique signature through his unusual combination of materials, the interplay between two- and three-dimensional elements, and the fusion of sculptural traditions and mythological themes with elements from popular culture.
The exhibition in the Project Space showcases a combination of early and very recent work. A key focus of the exhibition is the time he spent studying at the Ateliers in Amsterdam. The earliest work in the exhibition, ‘Head of a Golem’ (1998), he considers to be where his ideas from that period first fully came to fruition. Conscious allusions to this formative ‘Dutch’ period, in which he was taught by artists such as Marlene Dumas and Jan Dibbets, can be seen in the new works he created specifically for this exhibition.
Before attending De Ateliers, Thomas Houseago studied at Central Saint Martins School of Arts in London. After graduating, he lived and worked in Brussels for several years before moving to Los Angeles, California.
www.ftn-books.com hasnow the invitation for his Gemeentemuseum exhibition available.
