Tom Bandage (b. 1992)Tom Bandage is a contemporary sculptor based in Houston, TX. Prior to 2020, he was based out of Austin, TX. A student of computer science and studio arts, his work is informed by concepts of axioms and epistemology. Constructing perspective-challenging performances and works, he explores autopoesis, information flow, and the architecture of experience.ARTIST STATEMENTInspired by the machinist's craft and the volumetric simplicity of Bauhaus, Tom Bandage attempts to capture the shape of thought through geometric contortions of material. Tom describes his sculpture work as conceptual - not in the sense that there is a concept to be gained or instructed, but rather that the work itself represents the structure of Concept as the object being studied. In this light, his geometries focus on the interaction between pure form and semiotic reference. By playing with form directly and intentionally avoiding reference to a signifier, his work creates novel viewing experiences that draw forth curiosity through a meditative play on perspective, giving the viewer complete control over what is to be signified. Fascinated by materiality and its immediate effect on the comprehension of space, Tom leverages high-standard design practice and material selection to conjure the emotionality and weight of industrialism, removing traditional construction materials such as concrete, metal, and acrylic, from their urban contexts and applying them to abstract conceptions of form and space. In doing so, he provides an experience of levity, intention, and process. His focus on process lends itself to creating internally-consistent structures that become self-referential and are intended to represent the interaction between thought patterns and the means by which knowledge is produced. Often leveraging the mathematic concepts of graph theory, automata, and voronoi diagrams, he attempts to capture systems that produce their own internal logic, acting as physical metaphor. Tom self-imposes creative restrictions by utilizing analog architectural drafting processes and inherent limitations of the desired material. This allows him to achieve a Warholian factory-like effect, where individual pieces are hand selected from a wide range of iterations, without a focus on producing the "right answer" or arriving at the final destination. His cited inspirations include Alexander Calder, Dieter Rams, Arnold Bocklin, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Cage, Egon Schiele, and spaghetti westerns. EducationBS of Computer Science (Bard College, incomplete)BA of Studio Arts (Bard College, incomplete) Awards2018 Cultural Arts Division Community Initiatives grant Exhibitions2023 Tom Bandage: The Spectacle of Introspection, Jung Center, Houston, TX2020 Texas Emerging, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, TX 2020 Bodys, Martha’s Contemporary, Austin, TX 2020 Love Seat & Lamp, Martha’s Contemporary, Austin, TX 2019-20 Example Geometry, Dimension Gallery (solo), Austin, TX 2019 Art Bash, Native Hostel, Austin, TX2019 FRAMES A1 - E1, The Other Art Fair, Dallas, TX 2019 functor no.4, Dimension Gallery’s “Paved Garden”, Austin, TX 2019 functor no.1, Flight Gallery, San Antonio, TX 2017 Upper Torso, Private Residence installation, Austin, TX 2017. Ennio, Cheshire Cat, Austin, TX 2016 Tables 1 & 2, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 2016. Tables 1 & 2, Brazos Hall, Austin, TX 2015 this._node, Chicon Collective, Austin, TX 2015 Osiris, PanAm Park, Austin, TX Community2018 Produced and Coordinated EAST event “Long Live Bolm”2016-17 CoFounder of Topology, an art gallery and studio complex2015 CoFounder of Not Gallery, an Austin art gallery2012-14 Chief Editor of arts & journalism magazine “787xx”