September 10th, NYC: Bryant Park Upper Terrace, from 6pm-7pm
Paul Richard Thomas has announced his next exhibition: an innovative virtual gallery display.
The interactive exhibit will bring to life a surreal vision of the human body versus the human psyche as visitors enter a human wall comprised of men clad in custom- made outfits created by celebrity designer Francesca Liberatore. Each part of this human wall will feature an oversized photograph harnessed to their back, with the artwork only becoming visible as viewers enter the impromptu gallery.
Once visitors step inside, the exhibition reveals itself: a series of images of models and celebrities – Susanne Bartsch, Fatima Siad, Snow Dollkinson – among others, displaying their pure beauty yet exposing chosen parts of their faces or anatomy that Thomas customizes in an unexpected and provocative manner. Thomas takes the viewer on a journey of intense reflection, questioning what we do to ourselves thanks to the highly intrusive transformations to our physical appearance as he incites us to explore the deeper meaning behind them.
Thomas’s message, illustrated through this exhibition, drives home the point that we all seek to make a statement reflecting the uniqueness of our personality that can sometimes appear extreme to others. Instead, he shows the audience that conquering our desire to be special can lead us to a point of not feeling overshadowed but instead reflecting a meta-transformation that makes our identity surreal beyond the norm: not to be one among others, but to be “The One.”
Thomas’s exhibition on September 10th offers both an introspective view and a far- reaching public statement regarding society’s perceptions, incorporating his sharp edge of surrealism while inciting social commentary on the attainment of beauty and individuality.
