Meet Bakehouse artist Thomas Bils, a painter who incorporates bizarre scenes and humorous subject matter in referencing and reflecting on his experiences navigating life in contemporary America. Growing up in Melbourne, Florida, Thomas draws on the aesthetic absurdities of the opioid-stricken suburban South. His work intertwines autobiographical story-telling with universal anxieties, acting as the “unreliable narrator” and engaging in an ongoing investigation into the mutability of truth and narrative.

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Can you tell us about your artistic practice?

My autobiographical paintings are an ongoing investigation into the precarious nature of the world and the banality of disaster. Reflecting on the absurdities I became accustomed to while growing up in the suburban south during the beginning of the opioid crisis, I craft images employing my role as the unreliable narrator to develop a fragmented reality where my personal narratives intertwine with universal anxieties. Within that space, I invite the viewer to meditate on the inherent contradictions that define our human experience and the fragility of certainty. The personal microcosm, in my vision, is a delicate construct, forever on the precipice of collapse, where even the most mundane occurrences can hold profound existential significance.

Tell us about a personal artistic project or body of work that you are currently excited about.

Having just finished up a great booth at The Armory Show in NYC, as well as an extensive solo exhibition earlier in the year– both with Spinello Projects– I’m happy to be back in the studio and experience my next body of work. Taking the success of this recent year, I’m allowing room for experimentation in my material language, including prints and three dimensional work. Only time will tell how much of the work from this exploratory phase will ever make it out of my studio and into the public space.

Tell us about how you have developed as an artist since you began working at Bakehouse.

I’m unsure how to express how I’ve developed since arriving at Bakehouse, over five years ago. I came here shortly after finishing my BFA at New World School of The Arts, working full time as a butcher with a vague idea of my identity as an artist. Thanks to the access to a private area to focus on my practice and a rich network of peers, my work has progressed into something I can truly be proud of. I now have a relatively stable career as a working artist. I regularly assert that if it wasn’t for my place here at Bakehouse, I would still be unhappily working in restaurant kitchens.