In his artistic practice Thomas Raat explores the position of painting, sculpture, design and architecture within a systems of display in which he examines how value is ascribed to certain materials, practices and artistic strategies. Sitting at the heart of this artistic practice is the question as to what, nowadays, might be possibly added (by means of recycling the physical and the ideological) to all the things or (art) objects produced for the benefit of everyday human life. He looks at the origin of things or for the “thing” in itself to merge cultural-historical habits of seeing and conventions of art presentation to form a web of unique, imaginary yet also real exhibitions.
In 2003 and 2004 Thomas Raat was awarded the Royal Award for Modern Painting. In 2010 the Hermine van Bers Beeldende Kunstprijs and in 2012 the Buning Brongers Prijs.
He studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (1997-2001), Norwich School of Art and Design (2000), Delfina Studio Program in London (2005-06) and the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam (2011-12). Raat exhibits in The Netherlands and abroad. Recent solo exhibitions include ‘MMXIX’, Stedlijk Museum de Lankenhal, Leiden (2019), ‘Gems etc…’, Circl. Art, Amsterdam (2017), ‘Standards’, Onomatopee, Eindhoven (2016), ‘Archetypes and Residues’ Schunk*, Heerlen (2015), ‘D.A.A.’ Dover Street Market, Beijing (china) (2015) and ‘2.II’ ANDOR Gallery, London (UK) (2015)