Tom and Artspace Mackay have joined together to make Natural Oddity – a solo exhibition of brand new work and best of’s, including glass, prints and animation.
After being part of the Worlds of Infinite Possibility exhibition in 2023, curator Nathan Schroeder invited Tom to exhibit in Mackay, QLD. We’ve missed the grand spectacle of the Abundant Wonder Touring Exhibition and coupled with the fact that when it toured Bundaberg in early 2022 Tom was unable to attend the opening due to Covid travelling rules – we said yes! It will be the furthest north that Tom has had a solo show in Australia to date.
The works will be partly from our collection – Hammerhead Torpedo Shark, Glacial Logic, Robot Bird and all their friends, plus lots of new comers (some featured above and below.)
Here’s a lovely statement: Tom Moore is a glass artist who creates characters that blur the boundaries between lifeforms. Tom continues to practice and adapt ancient craft techniques in the hope that the complex cultural meanings of glass offer unique potential for thinking creatively about our global pickle. Striving to invigorate glass art has led Tom to embrace collaboration with photographers and animators, and alongside his wife Rosie, to construct elaborate exhibition scenery akin to dreamscape dioramas. Natural Oddity presents playful and unsettling reflections on nature and technology. The aim of this exhibition is to defy gravity and to melt the coldest heart.
Koala Island (above) is the star (or one of them) of the new animation collaboration, Natural Oddity with UniSA animation students, Jack Faulds, Persy Lim, Kewal Singh and Bataille Zi-Jian Foo-Brady. It is showing alongside awesomely crafted Chorus of Wonders with Jonathan Nix, and the hilariously chaotic I Notice Birds and Autoganic 1 & 2 with Nigel Koop. Natural Oddity harkens back to Tom’s earlier animations with a semi coherent storyline that you can draw your own conclusions to.
Tom has continued to build upon the prints he introduced at Sydney Contemporary Art Fair and has been working with his longtime photographer Grant Hancock to produce new images that take the glass and then make it Moore.
There will be a drawing competition that runs alongside this exhibition, but the absolute NEW thing with this one is……..*drumroll* it is open to all ages! Actually there are three categories – Under 16s, All Ages, and Over Sixties. We strongly encourage everyone there to participate because the winners will have their design made in glass by Tom, and also get to keep it! See this link here for previous design winners from the Abundant Wonder exhibition. They were all youngsters, so we are excited to see what everyone can come up with – however you’ve got to remember —> it needs to be makeable!
Tom will also be presenting a drawing workshop on the Saturday 24th January at Artspace. It’s a paid and ticketed event from 12:30 – 3:30pm with a free Artist Talk beforehand at 10:30am (that you still need to register for!) More details on Artspace’s website.
If you’re in Mackay, or anywhere near, please come and see the exhibition!
Tom Moore: Natural Oddity
Main Gallery, Artspace Mackay, QLD
24 January – 2 April 2026
Opening Friday 23 January.
