Thomas Canto, French, born1979, first learned about art at a young age from his family but was initially inspired by graffiti he observed in Lyon in the early 90’s. His own practice and futuristic aesthetic quickly switched from street to studio when the discipline felt too imposed and rigid. However, by still preserving the early in uences around him, his work remains centered in the urban, eclectic and abstract.
Challenged by the works of Chinese painter Yan Pei Ming and French artist Pierre Soulages, whose works are brought to life by large, rapid brush strokes which structure space, Thomas’ taste for constructivism and speed grew. From 2001 to 2009, he developed an instinctive inquiry of space, speed and perspective in his installations, while also directing his rst gallery, N2O in Lyon. During this period collector Gunther Sachs’ and artist Sigi Von Koeding’s support garnered Canto international acclaim which further af rmed the artist’s professional vision and direction. Another pinnacle moment to Canto’s process was the 2013 project “Bains Douches”in which he further defined construction of fully immersive installations upon which all future installations would be based. It was this dawning in Canto’s inquiry of the relationship of architectural works and humans which is key to his work.
Since 2014, Canto incorporated the volume of high precision geometric shapes, acrylic and glass which was interlaced with three dimensional components, like visual windows into his personal universe. These multi-dimensional, experimentation installations have been displayed in various cities such as Roma (Outdoor festival, Wunderkammern Gallery) Shanghai (Matthew Liu Fine Arts, ART021), Germany (Volklingen Art Biennale), and Rabat (Mohammed VI Museum).
Thomas Canto recently introduced his latest big project, the Illusory Perspectives installation at Centre Pompidou in Paris. This large installation continues his series of futuristic aesthetics-oriented works which combine urban and geometrical elements in an eclectic abstract form. Mixing painted patterns with actual objects and a grid of both lines and threads installed in the space, the French artist creates a multidimensional work that plays with observers’ perspectives. Taking city and urban landscapes as an endless inspiration, his work plays with light and its effects on surroundings. In this manner, his latest creation depicts an illusory perspective that stretches from the very edges of the space towards its focus point in the corner, forming an abstract image of a dynamic cityscape.
More info: thomascanto.com
