Artists

Thomas Jenkins

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Thomas Jenkins

Thomas Jenkins was born in Wales and lives and works in London. He graduated in 2012 at Slade with a distinction MA Fine Art. He has exhibited internationally and has participated in a number of European talks and workshops. Thomas Jenkins is concerned with meaning(lessness), he says of his work ‘Categorisation and systems, exploration, romance and depth could all be called an inspiration for my work, but beneath all lies a fascination at the way in which humankind copes with its reality’ His work, Seas and Oceans of the World is as absurdist as it is conceptual and is a perfect distillation and springboard for these underlying positions. A beautifully bound and printed atlas showing all the seas and oceans of the world is presented in a vetrine display. The wall opposite plays a video of an anonymous white gloved hand leafing through the pages of the Atlas pausing for the viewer to register the name of each body of water printed in the centre of each page. Under closer inspection you realise that the printed scale at the bottom of each page has no meaning as there is no relationship between the sea and anything else. There are no lines of longitude and latitude, the plate number at the top of each page gives a pretence of rationality and order to the work. It is at this point that the absurdist nature of this atlas makes you re examine and negotiate the work within different parameters. The Jealous edition produced for Thomas Jenkins playfully yet succinctly continues to explore these notions. Thomas’ Jealous Prize print edition is now held in the Victoria & Albert Museum Permanent Print Collection.

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