caroline thomas

Caroline’s practice is driven by the forces of material, language, humour and experimentation. Found materials accumulate around her until a relationship suggests itself. Her past working life as an image researcher, where one picture was often expected to convey a larger story, enables her to encapsulate large, often unwieldy concepts and ideas into a single form or handful of materials. Caroline especially enjoys using existing objects that already lived a life and transforms them, finding them new partners and adding new layers to their experiences.
Caroline was born in London, UK in the 1960s to Kiwi parents. She studied History of Art at Edinburgh University and worked as an image researcher in London in the publishing industry for several years. She moved to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2007 and studied contemporary jewellery at Whitireia NZ from 2011-13. Since then she has exhibited widely at home and internationally and is a current member of The See Here and Occupation: Artist. Caroline has also participated in the HandShake jewellery mentoring programme.