Thomas Trum (b. 1989, The Netherlands) is a painter and is particularly fascinated by the idea of leaving behind traces. Trum explores the abstract. He works within a self-imposed, restrictive framework that exclusively focuses on line and colour, spanning various scales from paper to facades. Research into materials, techniques, and spatial composition are at the heart of his work. He often creates his works on a large scale and develops unconventional tools including giant felt-tip pens and custom-built rotating spraying machines. Intrigued by large vehicles such as agricultural machinery, which operate with maximum efficiency in a rhythmic pattern, Trum experiments with these techniques to continuously discover new ways to create images. The extensive preparations contrast with the execution of the final work, which sometimes only takes a couple of minutes. The process involves an interaction between human and tool, like a choreography, for applying the line on the surface in the best way possible. You can see the physicality in his works, a movement captured in colour. He uses the studio as a place for his ongoing study developping a clearly recognizable, colourful and abstract visual language.
Solo exhibitions include Autobahn, The Hole Gallery, Los Angeles, USA (2024); Daily Spins, Het Noord Brabants Museum, Den Bosch, The Netherlands (2023); Farbwechselfelder, Conrads Gallery, New York, USA (2022); Loops, The Hole Gallery, New York, USA (2022), Flat Loops, Gallery Gerhard Hofland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2022); Smooth Synergy, Base-Alpha Gallery, Antwerpen, Belgium (2021); Solo show, Gallery Conrads, Berlin, Germany (2021); Talking a Line for a Walk, Grote Kerk, Alkmaar, The Netherlands (2021), Solo show, Gallery Gerhard Hofland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2021), Repeating Ramp, Kunsthal Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2020); Solo show, Erasmus Galeriy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2019); Two Orange Lines, Het Noord Brabants Museum, Den Bosch, The Netherlands (2018); Solo show, Galerie Vivid, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2018); Superimposed, Galerie Rianne Groen, Rotterdam (2017); Almost not a straight line, Het Wilde Weten, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2016).
Group exhibitions include (Upcoming) Ethereal, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2025); Feeling Blue - Feeling Pink, Gallery Conrads, Berlin, Germany (2024); Uit het Paradijs, Museum Krona / Bijbels Museum, Uden, The Netherlands (2024), Craft Now!, CODA Museum, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands (2023); Storage Wars, The Hole, Los Angeles, USA (2023); L’été Indien, Ballroom Gallery, Brussel, Belgium (2023); Colors etc., Tripostal, Lille, France (2021); AkzoNobel Art foundation, AkzoNobel Headquarter, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2021); Questionmark, Park, Tilburg, The Netherlands (2021); Cubed, The Hole gallery, New York; USA (2020); Mind the gap!, Museum für Konkrete Kunst, Ingolstadt, Germany (2020); Van Eyck’s colours in design, Designmuseum, Ghent, Belgium (2020); Minimalism, Minigalerie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2020); Modern Pictures for Modern Rooms, Billytown, Den Haag, The Netherlands (2019); The one day show, Minigalerie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2019); Cluster Bubble, Studio Omstand, Arnhem, The Netherlands (2019); Bauhaus, Galerie Vivid, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2019); Traces, Kasteel Wijlre, Wijlre, The Netherlands (2018); No Time, WillemTwee project space, Den Bosch, The Netherlands (2018); Funtime, Galerie Vivid, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2018); Paint me a city, phk14, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2018); Beyond the thunderdome, Nest, Den Haag, The Netherlands (2017); Plymouth X envisions, Plymouth University gallery, Plymouth, UK (2017); Stromboli, De Omstand, Arnhem, The Netherlands (2017); Brabant Wunderkammer, bkkc, Tilburg, The Netherlands (2017); Shapes of color, Galerie Vivid, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2017); Designing the surface, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2017); Thomas Trum & Maria van Kesteren, Galerie Vivid, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2016); Next Up, De Kazerne, Eindhoven, The Netherlands (2016); Do-it, (icw Koen Taselaar) Kunsthal, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2015).
Highlights and collections
In 2016, Trum received a talent development work grant from the Creative Industry Stimulation Fund and in was awarded The Loyens & Loeff Emerging Artist Award, for having the most promising presentation at Unifair18 in 2018. His works can be found in prestigious international private and public collections, including the Het Noord Brabants Museum, Den Bosch, The Netherlands; Akzo Nobel Art Foundation, Amsterdam; The Netherlands; The Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, The Netherlands; The NN Group, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; the Ministry of education, culture ans science (OCW), Den Haag, The Netherlands; Ministry of infrastructure and water management, Den Haag, The Netherlands; Ministry of foreign affairs, Den Haag, The Netherlands; The royal collection, UK; Rabobank, Utrecht, The Netherlands and the Mondriaan Fund, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.