Tom Polo uses painting to explore how conversation, gesture and exchange are embodied acts of portraiture. Working between abstraction and figuration, his paintings blur boundaries between the self and others, to mask and unveil the complexities of our inner worlds. Drawing upon acute observation, social encounters and personal histories, Polo’s practice records the emotional and performative relationships between people within social, theatrical and psychological space.

Significant exhibitions include the Free/State, Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia (2022); The National 4: New Australian Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (2019); and Primavera 2017: Young Australian Artists, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2017). Polo was a 2021 finalist in the Ramsay Art Prize, Australia’s premier prize for emerging artists. His work held in public art collections including Artbank, Australia; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; and Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth.

 

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Frieze

Nadia Hernández, Nell, Tomislav Nikolic, Tom Polo

4 September – 7 September 2024

art fair

Melbourne Art Fair

Dane Lovett, Clare Milledge, Tom Polo, Julia Trybala

22 February – 25 February 2024

art fair

Frieze Seoul

Polly Borland, Tom Polo, Mark Whalen

6 September – 9 September 2023

art fair

Tom Polo

tricky mirror

19 November – 17 December 2022

melbourne

Tom Polo

stains, stages, strangers

7 August – 18 September 2021

melbourne

Web8

Ten year show

12 June – 10 July 2021

melbourne

Photo 7-1-21, 10 47 48 am

Quarantine Art Fair

Jon Cattapan, Consuelo Cavaniglia, Adam Lee, Dane Lovett, Nell, Jonny Niesche, Tom Polo, Reko Rennie, Gareth Sansom, Michelle Ussher, Isadora Vaughan, Yevgeniya Baras

7 January – 10 January 2021

art fair

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Tom Polo

exit strategy

4 July – 1 August 2020

melbourne

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Sidney McMahon & Tom Polo

It’s all a costume though, you see

23 November – 21 December 2019

melbourne

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Melbourne Art Fair

Daniel Boyd, Consuelo Cavaniglia, and Tom Polo

4 July – 5 August 2018

art fair

SS

STATION, Sydney | 36 - 40 Queen Street, Woollahra

Tom Polo, Michael Staniak, Marian Tubbs

10 March – 25 March 2018

off-site

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Tom Polo

Emotional Patrol

19 August – 9 September 2017

melbourne

Tom Polo

Recent Positions

4 June – 2 July 2016

melbourne

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Spring 1883, Sydney

Daniel Boyd, James Deutsher, Dane Lovett, Patrick Lundberg, Laith McGregor, TV Moore, Jonny Niesche, Tom Polo, Gareth Sansom, Esther Stewart, Ronnie van Hout, Jake Walker

10 September – 12 September 2015

art fair

Tom Polo

The fool faces sideways

27 June – 18 July 2015

melbourne

Spring1883Install-056

Spring 1883, Melbourne

Tom Polo

14 August – 17 August 2014

art fair

Untitled-1

Ready Player One

Daniel Boyd, Jon Campbell, Jon Cattapan, Nadine Christensen, David Griggs, Anna Kristensen, Adam Lee, Laith McGregor, Moya McKenna, Tim McMonagle, Séraphine Pick, and Tom Polo

4 February – 8 March 2014

melbourne

Tom Polo

Ways

26 September – 9 November 2013

melbourne

Extended Operations

Fiona Lowry, Geoff Newton, Tom Polo, Lisa Radford & Tim Silver

10 July – 31 August 2013

melbourne

Tom Polo

Paris Drawings: The Most Elaborate Disguise