Torey Thornton

Torey Thornton’s (American, b.1990) purposely ambiguous imagery is nestled between abstraction and figuration. The result is a distinct visual tension that characterizes his pictorial spaces. This mini-survey exhibition considers Thornton’s process and the important role language, both graphic and visual, plays in his practice. 

The myriad images we take in daily, whether from life or the media, have a profound effect on what we do and how we feel. Therefore, we often base decisions first on what we see, not necessarily what we know. For the past year, Thornton has been challenging the limits of perception by teasing out the ways in which we cognitively process images. His seemingly impulsive combinations of forms and colors, scale and perspective, are always surprising. Thornton intentionally confuses the viewer by manipulating conventional approaches to building a composition. 

His imagery will often trigger what the mind wants to see versus what may actually be present. Through morphing shapes and chromatic anomalies, familiar content becomes questionable. Thornton’s titles are equally paradoxical, often emanating from a personal reference. For Thornton, they present another opportunity to continue playing beyond the canvas and to create an ulterior dialogue for the object. Sir Veil is Thornton’s first solo museum exhibition.

Exhibition overview from museum website