Toma-L From FRANCE ― Lives in NANTES ― b. 1975
"If there has to be a concept, mine is to not have one. But by saying this, it’s clear that I create one. I reserve the right to paint, without having had any ideas before starting the piece. In other ways, I paint freely with the only objective being to finish the act I have started."
Thomas Labarthe, also known as Toma-L, is a French artist born in 1975.
In 2001, he discovered Jean Dubuffet at the Pompidou Center, an experience that he described as a "veritable electroshock." This led to the creation of his first painting, Mala Bestia, three months later. In 2006, he presented Figures Libres at the Centre Altercultura in Barcelona. Over the years, Toma's work has become increasingly structured and defined, as he discovered the right formats, volumes, forms, and colours to express his artistic vision. His time spent living in Spain has had a significant influence on his work, with the colours of the south being a recurring theme.
His work is reminiscent of that of Joan Miró, many cite Dubuffet or Basquiat. Toma L. paints with his stomach, his heart. He paints as if he was fulfilling an instinctive need. He paints liberally. His work borders on the margin of many concepts, allowing him to liberate himself from reflection. He focuses less on meaning so is able to reinforce his action-based method. This strict concentration on marks, lines, and motifs places him in a territory occupied by many artists coming from Lyrical Abstraction, Free Figuration, Abstract Expressionism and even Art Brut, in which the common thread is the emphasis on gesture.
This polarization towards action and away from meaning leads to lines and forms under tension which stem from deep inspiration and go on to develop their own stories. Gesture is intimately linked to the techniques used, the motifs are gracefully drawn by seizing the opportunities the different procedures and materials present.
Today, collaborative projects allow him to reinvent his painting practice. He joins with other artists, video makers, dancers, photographers, editors, and graphic artists in order to project his universe onto the body, around a choreographed piece, behind closed doors in an art book, and via the publishing project Vas-y.
Théophile Pillaul, Writer Biographer
His work is reminiscent of that of Joan Miró, many cite Dubuffet or Basquiat. Toma L. paints with his stomach, his heart. He paints as if he was fulfilling an instinctive need. He paints liberally. His work borders on the margin of many concepts, allowing him to liberate himself from reflection. He focuses less on meaning so is able to reinforce his action-based method. This strict concentration on marks, lines, and motifs places him in a territory occupied by many artists coming from Lyrical Abstraction, Free Figuration, Abstract Expressionism and even Art Brut, in which the common thread is the emphasis on gesture.
This polarization towards action and away from meaning leads to lines and forms under tension which stem from deep inspiration and go on to develop their own stories. Gesture is intimately linked to the techniques used, the motifs are gracefully drawn by seizing the opportunities the different procedures and materials present.
Today, collaborative projects allow him to reinvent his painting practice. He joins with other artists, video makers, dancers, photographers, editors, and graphic artists in order to project his universe onto the body, around a choreographed piece, behind closed doors in an art book, and via the publishing project Vas-y.
Théophile Pillaul, Writer Biographer
