05/18/2026
Kathleen Thum
From Dust
2026
Ink made from West Virginia and Wyoming Coal, Ink made from South Carolina burnt wood, Ink made from recycled drywall gypsum, Ink made from South Carolina walnuts, Ink made from New Mexico earth, along with fluorescent acrylic paint on back for reflected color on cut watercolor and yupo paper
Currently on view in "Shadowy Surfaces : Cosmic Stardust" through May 30th. Links in bio to schedule a visit (we really love to see you!) and to view and collect ONLINE via Artsy. Save the date for our closing Sat, May 30th 5-8 EST
Kathleen Thum - Artist Statement
My drawing and painting practice explores coal and petroleum as both subject and material, examining issues of the Anthropocene including climate change, extraction, and petro-infrastructures as they bear on our relationship with the earth. Motivated by cognitive dissonance in response to environmental disaster, I use my studio practice to process and grapple with my participation in modernity and establish a sense of agency.
I have developed two bodies of work, the Carbon Series and the Pipelines Series, which differ visually but share a conceptual focus on re-examining fossil fuels, materiality, and place. In both, I incorporate coal and crude oil directly as medium, engaging these earth-based materials as a response to environmental concerns. Working with digital technologies such as digital drawing, laser cutting, and machine cutting, the end results remain grounded in the physical and tangible, emphasizing the hand and materiality. These fossil fuels carry an inherent connection to time, place, and environmental change, and working with them raises questions about extraction and humanity's impact on geological systems.
