About

Tom Campbell is a Scottish born, Cork based, artist.

Tom is multi-disciplinary artist, who studied sculpture, but is largely self-taught. His visual art focuses on expressive drawing in which he works prolifically. His exhibition of 1,000 Drawings is testament to that. He paints and has a passion for papier mache sculpture, with animals often being the theme.

Tom enjoys the aspect of sharing his skills and working in groups, he has worked with many communities groups. A large focus in his community based work is ‘The Dog Project’, which has been run three times with the aim being to create 100 papier mache dogs and involve anyone who wished to collaborate.

Tom’s other creative outlets are music and performance, singing, playing the ukulele, guitar and harmonica he writes songs and has aspirations to record an album. In performance Tom is especially interested in clown, and mask work, and has a few solid circus skills including unicycle, juggling and walking on hands he has done a few one-man shows introducing various ridiculous characters, humour is a big part of Tom’s life and art.

Tom likes to dream of utopia, and  has a political side with an urge to have us live more in harmony with each other ourselves and the beautiful planet on which we live.

One thing is for sure, Tom won’t stop making art.

 


Exhibitions  

2016: Cork School of Music, Dearbhail and Tom (Group show)
2015: The Gallery Room, Natural Foods Bakery, Cork (Solo show)
2015: The Hole in the Wall, Exhibition and performance residency, Kilkenny Art Festival (Solo show)
2015: Rocketman Princes St, Cork (Solo show)
2014: Cork School of Music, New Work (Solo Show)
2014: Can Cisa, Caller Princesa, Barcelona drawings and Papier mache launch (Solo Show)
2013: Blackbird Gallery, Kilkenny (Solo Show)
2012: Tactic Art Gallery, 1000 Drawing Exhibition, Cork (Solo Show)
2011: Camden Palace, Cork, The Dog Project, Papier Mache project (community based show)
2010: Kinsale Art Festival, Manifest (Group show)
2009: Urban Retreat Gallery and Origin gallery, Dublin, New work (Solo Show)
2008: Shaw Gallery, Cork (Solo Show)
2007: Ard Bia, Galway (Solo Show)
2006: English Market Gallery, Horsey in the Market Gallery (Group show)
2006: Private Collectors’ Gallery, Inishannon (Solo Show)
2006: Watergate Theater, Kilkenny, Buy don’t buy (Solo Show)
2005: Dog Project Launch, Triskel Arts Center, Cork (community based show)
2005: Cross Gallery, Christmas Show, Dublin (Group show)
2005: Form Gallery, Art is a doing word, Cork (Group show)
2005: Iontas Small Art Works, Sligo (Group show)
2005: Berkley Gallery, The living artists, Thomastown, Kilkenny
2004: Cross Gallery, Christmas Show, Dublin (Group show)
2004: Passo Blu Gallery, Genoa, Italy (Solo show)
2004: Shandon Gallery, Personal Show, Cork (Solo show)
2002: Tigh Fili Arts Center, Cork (Solo Show)
1999-2001: Peinture Fraiche, Le Cannet, France Bi-monthly (group show)
1997: Garden of Delights Gallery / Cafe, Dublin (Solo show)
1996: Orchardton Arts Festival, Auchencairn, Scotland (group show)
1996: Gardener Arts Centre, The Way We Are Now, Brighton (group show)
1996: Kilkenny Arts Week, Abbey Business Centre, Kilkenny (group Show)

Gallery representation has included:

The Market Gallery, Cork (2013 – 2016)
Boatyard Gallery, Kinsale (2012 – 2016)
Greenlane Gallery, Dingle (2001 – 2003)
Art Select Gallery, Dublin (2001 – 2003)
Form Gallery, Cork (2004 – 2005)
Laundrette Gallery, Cork (2005)
Passo Blu Gallery, Genova  (2004 – 2005)
Private Collectors’ Gallery, Inishannon (2002 – 2009)

Selected Arts Projects

The Dog Project: The Dog Project’s aim was to create 100 papier mache dogs and then to have them walked on the steet and put in formations as a street installation. The project was run as an open workshop where participants could help make the dogs, working From the Triskel Arts Center 78 dogs were completed. In 2011 the project was re-run and 128 dogs were completed. For a link to a film documenting this look at “Dogmation’’ on Youtube. Since then I have facilitated Dog Making in Workshops in schools and with the Waterford Healing Arts Trust. In 2016 I worked with Mind Oxfordshire a charity that works with people with poor mental health in Oxford we created 115 dogs.

Papier mache Commissions: I have been commissioned to make large scale animal sculptures for bars and restaurants. The themes have been animals with the biggest piece being full sized Blue Marlin.

Peinture Fraîche: Was a shared studio space and gallery in Le Cannet in France. I worked there for over a year in collaboration with three other artists, holding regular exhibitions.

Community Arts Experience

Parades: I have assisted in and facilitated various parades involving community groups: Kilkenny Arts Festival, 2001; St. Patrick’s Parade, Cork, 2005 & 2006 and perform regularly in St Patrick’s Day Parade.

Groups: I have worked with diverse groups including children, teenagers, elderly and people with poor mental health. Projects have included mural painting, papier mache and parades

Street Decoration: I worked on Calle Ciudad Real for the Gracia Festival in Barcelona, which involved the decorating of the street and the making of a 3 meter high mafalda cartoon character.

Performance based work

I have a passion for clown and comedy based performance as well as having an interested in mask. I have collaborated on, and organized, numerous cabarets, performed solo shows and busked. Music is part of this and like to sing, play the ukulele, guitar and harmonica. I have aspirations to record an album. I have performed at many festivals including Kinsale Art Festival, Glastonbury, Electric picnic, and the Body and Soul. I have attended a good amount of clown workshops and am a member of Circus Factory, Cork. Circus skills include unicycle, walking on hands, juggling and basic acrobatics.

Rubbish Performance: This was a group urban performance in which participants were invited to make impromptu costumes using rubbish and sellotape, and then play in the street. This performance took place 5 times and was documented by video.

The Ballheads: Was a collaborative performance that originated in Barcelona with 10 suited performers walking around with balls on their heads, this has since been performed in Cork and Kilkenny.

The Clayhead show: This is a performance where I put a lot of clay on my head and morph it into different masks

T.V. Show: This is a performance where I sit inside a television and present various ridiculous characters and programs this has been used in solos show, cabaret and busking

Other Experience / Skills & Hobbies

I enjoy gardening and bikes. I also like languages and have a good level of French and moderate Italian and Spanish.

Launch of Tom's 1000 pictures

Ballheads on the street