TOM SERIES

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This project utilizes Chambers' self-portrait to project his life experiences. His portrait remains constant with the experience (situation) indicated as a change or flux in the image. The accompanying text details his experience with the inclusion of links to the Internet for additional information. "Tom Series" is not only an artwork about Chambers' life - biography (visual/textual) - but also a reference tool, a study of history through his existence. Chambers put together another project, Descendants 350 in 1986 that used a similar approach to the study of history (Rhode Island's early history) by generating/displaying documentary portraits of the Descendants of the Founding Fathers along with text about their (Ancestors') trials/tribulations and contributions in the making of the State. This connection of the past and present - using imagery of contemporaries (living individuals) to create a sense of immediacy - in both projects, "Tom Series" and Descendants 350 creates more interest and excitement in studying a subject - History, in this case. The constancy of the same portrait (Chambers' image) indicates a human being's existence within a world/an environment that's ever influencing and changing the psyche and at some point in time - later (twilight) years for this individual, the psyche begins to take control and evaluate the process.

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Viewers of the same generation will probably begin to travel down their own personal memory lanes that may or may not cross his own. As they look at a particular image and read the text of "Tom Series", they may very well have had a similar to almost same experience. If not, they might begin to think about what they were doing during that particular time period when he was involved in his particular life activity and even compare their and Chambers' activities - more or less fortunate, happier or unhappier - and other situational aspects that determine the human condition. And for particular viewers, their life experiences might weave in and out of his, creating a subliminal connection - similar to the helix that equates all life at the biochemical level.

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Viewers of today's generation - the young generation - will get a hint of what has come before them and might be ahead of them in an immediate sense. "Tom Series" becomes a litmus test for this generation to begin to gauge their own lives - an indicator of pitfalls to avoid and opportunities to take advantage of - a lifeline (in palmistry) to begin to evaluate their own in a projected sense and as it might relate to their parents'/grandparents' lives. It might even bring the young generation closer to their parents/grandparents, and they (younger generation) might want to know more about them (parents/grandparents) and the older generation, generally.

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Chambers regrets that he didn't get to know his parents better (see Jean Tom and Joe Tom). And he regrets that he didn't share in his son's childhood (see Father Tom). Maybe this is the main reason for "Tom Series", and he hopes it will have universal appeal like his project, Mother's 45s had in 1990 (Gallery One, Providence, Rhode Island, USA) and 1992 (part of "Parents" exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA). This project is about Chambers' mother, but as the viewer experiences "Mother's 45s", he/she is probably thinking about his/her mother as well.

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Exhibitions:

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(First Love Tom, Apple Tom, Apollo Tom), Face to Face (group show), Modern Fine Arts Museum, Rostov-on-Don, Russia, August 18, 2017.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Tolijatti State Art Museum, Russia, October - December, 2015.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Perm State Art Gallery, Russia, May - July, 2015.

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(Tube Tom), The Selfie Show: An Art Exhibition of Self-portraits (group show), Museum of New Art, Troy, Michigan, U.S.A., May - June, 2015.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Villa Ichon, Bremen, Germany, November - December, 2014.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Samara State Art Museum, Russia, May - July, 2014.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), SFA Galleries, Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S.A., September - October, 2013.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Photo Festival, Arezzo, Italy, September - October, 2012.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Manomentr Gallery, Moscow, Russia, February, 2012.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Eumeria Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, December 12 - 17, 2011.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Rosphoto Exhibition Centre for Photography, St. Petersburg, Russia, November 25 - December 1, 2011.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Gallery, American University of Paris, Paris, France, October 11 - November 7, 2011.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Metenkov Museum of photography, Ekaterinburg, Russia, August 17 - September 18, 2011.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Chelyabinsk Museum of arts, Chelyabinsk, Russia, July 5 - August 9, 2011.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Roba Gallery, Omsk, Russia, June 18 - July 6, 2011.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Krasnoyarsk cultural Museum Centre, Russia, March 31 - May 22, 2011.

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(Hometown Tom, Tube Tom, Apple Tom, Photo Tom), The FACE (group show), Novosibirsk State Museum of Local History, Novosibirsk, Russia, February 16 - March 14, 2011.

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(China Tom, Tao Tom, Hometown Tom, AHS Tom [instructor invitation]), SELF/SOUL (Joint Student Exhibition, Zhaoqing University and University of Louisville[Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A.]) (group show), Fine Arts Department, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, China, December 1 - 25, 2006.

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(China Tom, Tao Tom, Hometown Tom, Target Tom), Faculty Exhibition (group show), Fine Arts Department, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, China, November 25 - December 1, 2006.

Installation examples of "Tom Series" in Russia as a part of "The Face: The Evolution of Portrait Photography" curated by Andrey Martynov:

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"Tom Series" book purchased by the Hilton M. Briggs Library, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, U.S.A.

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Term paper on Tom Chambers (Art Appreciation for Honors; a 100-level, lower division class, where students have chosen an artist on the theme of interconnectivity, and analyzed a selection of works.) by Peter DeGroot, Art student of Dr. Leda Cempellin, Assistant Professor, History of Art, Department of Visual Arts, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, U.S.A., 2009.

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Comments:

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Bruce Hanks, Manager, University of Winnipeg Instructional Network, Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology [CDDL], The University of Winnipeg [Canada]:

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"At a time when all known convention(s) are in a state of flux, globally we see issues of identity coming to the fore. People, cultures, countries, corporate branding - just about everything is struggling with identity. I see your work and see an artist who is not afraid of who he is and knows clearly where he stands. This is identity in your face. A well articulated juxtaposition of the present image (portrait) with historical reference points/images that define(ed) who you have become. Although personal, your age and experience growing up in the 50's and 60's, and as such a member of the baby boom generation, is easily extrapolated to every other member of that generation. I see your home town and I am in Bristol, England. I see the test pattern and somewhere in my files I have an Indian Head test pattern, etc. Your personal frankness and honesty allows for others to see themselves on a parallel path. This needs to be a traveling exhibit along with many others exploration of identity."

JD Jarvis, Art Critic/Artist and coauthor of "Going Digital: The Practice and Vision of Digital Artists" (ISBN 1-59200-918-2) [USA]:

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"Here's to a series that runs for many years yet to come."

Martin Mendelsberg, Designer/Typographer [Creator of Holocaust Portfolio.][USA]:

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"Great work!"

Ricardo Baez-Duarte, Digital Photographer/Artist [Venezuela]:

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"This is a very interesting series. It invites the audience to think hard about the message. I like the technique, very original. Good!"

Hannah Gal, Digital Artist [UK]:

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"Striking!"

Larry Lemons, Photographer/Artist [Hometown (Nocona) friend][USA]:

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"I found your Tom Series fascinating, thought provoking, and reminiscent of some of my own personal experiences. I viewed each image and read all the captions to get a better understanding of not only the art project itself, but of you as a person, which I believe might have been a great part of your intent. While I do not share the Taoist philosophy that you seem to have embraced, I do believe that there is a better way to live than just working all week to accumulate money for more useless material possessions. I have staked my eternal destiny on the teachings of and my faith in Jesus, the Christ. I have neither read or heard of any other great master who was willing to lay down his innocent life for the sins of this world and then have the power to rise up from the grave in victory over death. Forgive me for preaching, but to not reply to that part of your project would be to deny my own personal faith, which I cannot do. I like your art and I do not take offense to it in any way, in spite of my own Christian commitment and desire to see others come to know Him (John 3:16). In fact, I am inspired by it. Please continue to share it with me."

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Poster:

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