Chiffon Thomas

Inglewood, California

Artworks shown are selected from works submitted by the artist in their grant or residency application. All works are copyright of the artist or artist’s estate.

About Chiffon Thomas

Headshot of artist Chiffon Thomas
Photo by Mena Henry.

Chiffon Thomas (b. 1991, Chicago, IL) lives and works in Inglewood, CA, and holds an MFA from Yale University and a BFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Thomas’ powerful assemblages examine the nuances of defining oneself in contemporary society, portraying a form of self-expression that puts touch at the forefront. Identifying as trans and queer while raised within a strong religious environment, Thomas has used his work as a space to grapple with conflicting beliefs, values, and desires. Using material as expressive visual language,Thomas interprets feelings of nostalgia, longing to belong, and affirmations of the self. Thomas has completed the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, ME, and the Fountainhead Residency, Miami, FL. Thomas’ work is included in the permanent collections of the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Studio Museum of Harlem, New York; ICA Miami; Pérez Art Museum, Miami; Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH; X Museum, Beijing, China, among others. Thomas currently has a solo exhibition at P.P.O.W Gallery in New York (through October 15, 2022) and a forthcoming solo exhibition at the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield, CT (September 2023).

Program Participation

Joan Mitchell Fellowship, 2022

Website / Social Links

Synthesizing embroidery, collage, drawing, and sculpture, my practice navigates the push and pull relationship of the desire to change and the grounding force of perspective. Forcefully eschewing easy classification to create what I call ‘impossible bodies’ and architectural structures that embrace the space between representation and abstraction, I use utilitarian and industrial materials as a visual language for translating both cultural narratives and personal experiences.”