Tom Muller was born in Basel (1975), trained in Italy and Australia, and mentored by the illustrious Ilya Kabakov in New York. His practice to date has combined a sophisticated understanding of visual languages and utopian vision with a focused investigation into universally adopted processes and protocols. To this end, Muller has issued worlwide passports online (World Passport, 2000 -), posed as the concierge of a hotel, released a limited edition of 24 carat cards complete with instructions for melting (Gold Card, 2006), and opened a supermarket for limited edition works (Supermart, 2004). Politically provocative, these projects each reflect an interest in the circulation of value and meaning through global systems of exchange. His work has been exhibited in the prestigious Primavera exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, The Australian Biennial at the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Melbourne Art Fair and at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Muller has also been the recipient of numerous residencies and awards including the Encouragement of Australian Contemporary Art Award from the Qantas Foundation.
"As icebergs melt, water courses dry, and water becomes a perennial question not only for country, but city dwellers alike, the utopianism of these projects is neither naive, nor folly. At a time when we need to search for alternative answers, Muller's proposals have a compelling and plausible ring. Abstracted, computerised, and consumerised into forms that a 21st century viewer will find all too familiar in our oversaturated mass-market economy of imagery, Muller's proposals for a global language or lexicon of images and international symbols of modernist art that makes sense in different countries, to different people, is far from fantasy."
Rebecca Coates, from ' Tom Muller, Elemental Worlds catalogue, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, November 2008
Maschi Fontana is the result of a recent collaboration between the artists Tom Muller and Jean-Thomas Vannotti.
Working across a broad range of disciplines such as installation, video, wall paintings, drawings and sculptural assemblages. Their individual practices meet where collaboration begins. By placing a strong emphasis on the action/reaction principle, the work often references the notion of polarity and skillfully explores the nature of duality.
maschifontana.com
2001
Advanced Course of Visual Arts (with Ilya Kabakov), Fondazione Antonio Ratti, Como
1999-2000
Bachelor of Visual Arts (Hon), Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia
1998
Certificate of Anthroposophy, The Sophia Centre, Western Australia
1994-96
Diploma of Art & Design, The Western Australian School of Art & Design
Individual Exhibitions
2010 Neo Geo, Ryan Renshaw Gallery, Brisbane
2008 Elemental Worlds, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
2007 Expedition, Galerie Dusseldorf, Perth
2006 Capital, curated by Tania Doropoulos, Artbox Sherman Galleries, Sydney
2005 Stadium, Galerie Dusseldorf, Perth
2004 Project Room, Melbourne Art Fair
2002 Homoglobus, Galerie Dusseldorf, Perth
1995 Nomadic, Bridge Gallery, Perth
Selected Group Exhibitions
2010
F # as Maschi Fontana, Austellungsraum Klingental (during ArtBasel 2010), Basel
2009
M'Arte (duemilanove), Montegemoli (PI), Italy
Yellow Vest Syndrome: recent west Australian art, curated by Jasmin Stephens, Fremantle Arts Centre
2008
Linden 1968, curated by Hannah Mathews and Ben Riding, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne
Silver: Artrage 25, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, curated by Andrew Gaynor and Marcus Canning
Handle With Care, Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, curated by Felicity Fenner, Art Gallery of South Australia
2007
Economy, curated by Consuelo Cavaniglia, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
City of Perth Art Award, curated by Kate McMillan, Perth Town Hall
2006
Chart, The John Curtin Gallery, Perth
BankWest Contemporary Art Prize, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Joondalup Invitational Art Award, Lakeside Shopping Centre
Fremantle Print Award, Fremantle
D%uFFFDj%uFFFD Vu, curated by Douglas Sheerer, Galerie Dusseldorf, Perth
Melbourne Art Fair 06, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Paper, curated by Hannah Mathews, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Office6000, curated by Ben Riding, Next Building, Perth
2005
MixTape, curated by Jenepher Duncan, Art Gallery of Western Australia
City of Perth Art Award, curated by Belinda Cobby, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Supermart '05, curated by Stuart Clipston and Tom Muller, Breadbox Gallery Perth
BankWest Contemporary Art Prize, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Primavera, curated by Felicity Fenner, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Land of the Giants, curated by Consuelo Cavaniglia and Brendan van Hek, Moores Building, Fremantle
Shelf-Life, curated by Douglas Sheerer, UWA Perth International Arts Festival, Galerie Dusseldorf, Perth
2004
Supermart'04, curated by Stuart Clipston and Tom Muller, Breadbox Gallery, Perth
BankWest Contemporary Art Prize, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
2003
Supermart, curated by Stuart Clipston and Tom Muller, Breadbox Gallery, Perth
Australien, curated by Eva Fernandez, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Outside Tokyo, curated by Suellyn Luckett, The John Curtin Gallery, Perth
2002
Hotel 6151, curated by Ben Riding, The Rhodes Hotel, South Perth
2001
Tracce di un seminario: Mostra degli allievi del Corso Superiore di Arte Visiva, curated by Giacinto Di Pietrantonio and Angela Vettese, Galleria Viafarini, Milan
2000
Licenced, The John Curtin Gallery, Perth
The Spirit of a Place, Fondazione Antonio Ratti, Como
Emit-time, The Moores Building, Fremantle
Open Space, International Art Space Kellerberin
Lux, Espace La Plage, Neuchatel
1999
Kompost, Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth
Sculpture Survey 1999, Gomboc Gallery, Australia
We will survive, I.D.H.E.A.P., Lausanne, Switzerland
1997
Question de Forme, Galerie de L'Aubier, Montezillon, Switzerland
Choice Light, curated by Andrew Gaynor, Jack Sue Gallery, Perth
Grants, Awards, Residencies
2010 Arts Development Grant, W.A. Department of Culture and the Arts
2009 Basel Residency, International Artist Exchange Program Basel (Christoph Merian Stiftung) & W.A. Department. of Culture and the Arts
2008 Qantas Contemporary Art Award
2007 New Work Grant (Established), Australia Council for the Arts
2005 New Work Grant (Emerging), Australia Council for the Arts
2004 New Concept Grant, ArtsWA, Department of Culture and the Arts
2004 Artflight, ArtsWA, Department of Culture and the Arts
2003 New Concept Grant, ArtsWA, Department of Culture and the Arts
2000 Advanced Visual Arts Scholarship (with Ilya Kabakov), Fondazione Antonio Ratti, Como, Italy
2000 Art Asia Pacific Award, Curtin University of Technology
Public Commissions
2010 100 St Georges Terrace, Perth, commissioned by Cox Architects
2009 Al Bustan, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., commissioned by Cox Architects
2007 Kennedy Bay Public Art, Western Australia. Commissioned by Mirvac
2007 Spectrum Corporate Offices, Subiaco, Perth. Commissioned by the Giorgi Group
2004 The Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
2003 Temporary Public Installation in Forrest Place, Perth. Commissioned by the City of Perth
Selected Bibliography
2008
Heavily Handled with Care, Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, David Broker, Broadsheet Contemporary Visual Art Culture, Vol 37 No. 2, page 120
2007
Economy, Consuelo Cavaniglia, Exhibition Catalogue, published by the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Tom Muller Smart Art, Hannah Mathews, Art Collector July - September, pages 162-163
Tom Muller > gold standard art, Jasmin Stephens, Artlink, vol 27, pages 88-89
2005
Money for art's sake, Ric Spencer, The West Australian, Arts Weekendextra, page 13, 17 December
The art of Shopping, Ron Banks, Arts, The West Australian, page 8, 1 December
View of the Home Ground, Felicity Fenner, Primavera Exhibition Catalogue, published by The Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Spring Loaded, Sebastian Smee, The Week End Australian, page R18-R19, 17-18 September
Home is where the art is, Ric Spencer, The West Australian, Arts Weekendextra, page 12, 2 July
Attention Shoppers, Pilar Arevalo, Russh Magazine 03, pages 148-149, Feb 2005
2004
Man of the world's passport a global art form, Jo Roberts , The Age, News page 7, Sep 29
Tom Muller, Nyanda Smith, Cause Celebre Magazine, page 82-83, July/August
2003
Smart Art Supermart, Nyanda Smith, The West Australian, Arts Entertainment, page 134, 20 December
In the picture, Nyanda Smith, The West Australian, Arts Weekendextra, page 13, 13 December
Outside Tokyo (Ideas about space and time), Artlink vol. 23, page 94
Australiens, Ted Snell, Arts, The Australian, page 6, 18 August
Confronting views of Australia, Simon Blond, The West Aust., Arts Weekendextra, page 12-13, 2 August
Ideas of time and place, Simon Blond, The West Australian, Arts Weekendextra, page 14-15, 24 May
Citadini del Mondo, Carla Caporale, La Voce di Gaia Magazine, page 44, No.126, April
Homoglobus, Eric Console, re.art, gallery, pages 60-62, re.set Magazine, March
2002
Last Rites: inspirational installation, Bec Dean, Real Time Arts, December
Hotel 6151 - an all-hallows haunting for a doomed hotel, Felena Alach, Artlink Magazine, March
Black Laughter, Julian Goddard & Marie Bonnal, Art Press, February
Wry vision of world without borders, Ted Snell, The Australian, Preview, page 14, 25 October
In the Picture, Robert Cook, The West Australian, Arts Weekendextra, page 13, 2 November
2001
Tom A. Muller in Ilya Kabakov: Public Projects or The Spirit of a Place, p. 306, published by Charta
1999
Kooky Kompost caps a cool idea, Susan Hewitt, West Australian. page 11, 24 September
1997
On Show, David Bromfield, West Australian, Big Weekend, page 9, 15 March.
1995 Graffiti artist finds a new site, Despene Clarke, West Australian, Today Liftout, page 5, 18 September.
Collections
Parliament House, Canberra
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Curtin University of Technology
City of Fremantle
City of Joondalup
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre