Thomas Smith is a Melbourne-based artist, musician and researcher. His practice combines performance, video, electronic music, speculative fiction, websites, curatorial projects and critical writing. Thomas’ work explores the tyranny and poetics of computational systems and other technology through eerie video assemblages, speculative texts, and live performances. Thomas’ work is concerned with the politics of creative economies, digital subjectivities, planetary futures, generic digital aesthetics, ambivalent affect and music as a mode of critical inquiry. Thomas is also one half of music production duo Utility, and runs an independent record label called Sumactrac with Jarred Beeler (DJ Plead) and Jon Watts.
Thomas has completed a PhD through UNSW Art & Design, and teaches in the School of Design and Social Context at the RMIT Melbourne. Thomas’ works have been exhibited and/or performed at institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney), Unsound Festival (Poland), National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne), Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing), Nasjonalmuseet (Oslo), Floating Projects (Hong Kong), Goldsmiths College (London), Firstdraft Gallery (Sydney), Queensland University Art Museum (Brisbane), Alaska Projects (Sydney) and Blindside Gallery (Melbourne). Thomas’ writing has been published in Realtime Magazine, Runway Journal, Un Magazine and Plates Journal.