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OverviewSolty's goal is to capture the tension between beauty and sadness, which mirrors his own inner conflict about his place in the world. The imagery in his paintings often evokes nostalgia, especially memories from childhood and adolescence—particularl the fantastical landscapes of video games or amusement parks.
Tom Solty was born in Aachen, Germany in 1992. He studied Illustration at the Academy of Fine Arts in Maastricht, Netherlands between 2012 and 2015. Later on in 2018 Tom Solty moved to Lisbon, Portugal to explore the field of contemporary painting and succeeded his Master of painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Lisbon in 2021. Eversince his studies he focuses on figurative painting with a great interest in oil painting. Meanwhile he lives and works in between Berlin and Lisbon since he started his PhD program in painting at the Faculty in Lisbon.
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ARTIST STATEMENT
I’m drawn to the orderly nature of landscapes, yet I also confront the chaotic and invasive aspects of contemporary existence. The technical approach, particularly the use of an airbrush, further emphasises this tension between control and disruption. The paintings reflect my personal state of indecision, whether it’s struggling with how to begin or end a work, or simply grappling with feelings of insecurity. This uncertainty manifests in the visual language of the pieces. I aim to capture the ambiguity between beauty and melancholy, which mirrors my internal conflict about my place in the world. The imagery evokes a sense of nostalgia, rooted in childhood and teenage memories, particularly the fantastical landscapes of computer games or amusement parks.As I delve into these themes, I am drawn to exaggeration and excess, especially when exploring human impact on nature. Over the past two years, relocating from the city to the countryside has been a transformative experience. It required significant time and energy, but it has allowed me to reconnect with aspects of life that were once distant or overlooked. This shift has expanded my perspective and deepened my understanding of the ways we live today. Through my work, I document these changes in perception, capturing everyday moments through the lens of my phone and translating them into paintings. This process acts as a personal diary, each piece is a reflection of the evolving relationship I have with my environment and myself.The documentation of life, its connected impressions, and other mysteries can be captured on camera or brought to life in a video. As my patience wears thin and all efforts of devotion towards social expectations decrease, nature reveals its beauty. Memories in the form of photos on my phone are being painted and transformed into visual depictions of my personal anticipation. The devotion to nature and its connected fascination also generates a conscious examination of how we live today. Consequences provoked by my very own decisions often leave a sensation like Weltschmerz and grapple with deep-rooted feelings of guilt and apathy. -
Works
Tom Solty German, b. 1992
Imperial Motors, 2023Oil on canvas, (framed)150 x 120 x 5 cm
59 x 47 1/4 x 2 inCopyright The ArtistFurther images
Solty’s landscapes are at once inviting and uncanny, orderly nature meets human imposition, each blurred edge suggesting emotional latency. The piece reflects his ambivalence about belonging and perception: he simultaneously...Solty’s landscapes are at once inviting and uncanny, orderly nature meets human imposition, each blurred edge suggesting emotional latency. The piece reflects his ambivalence about belonging and perception: he simultaneously documents and distorts, using exaggeration to challenge romantic ideals of nostalgia. The result is a poetic meditation on beauty in decay, and the dissonant emotional landscapes we carry within.
In Imperial Motors Tom Solty stages a contemplative scene that juxtaposes nostalgic serenity with industrial disruption. The painting evokes childhood memories of fantasy landscapes, video games, amusement parks, but renders them through the context of modern machinery.Provenance
Artist's studio.Exhibitions
CAN Art Fair 2024, Ibiza (with Enari Gallery), 26/06/2024 - 30/06/2024
Enari Gallery, group exhibition "Fabricated Love" 27/01/2024 - 09/03/2024
14of 14BiographyEDUCATION
2022–2025 Ph.D. in Painting, Faculdade de Belas Artes U Lisboa, Portugal
2018–2021 Master of Painting, Faculdade de Belas Artes U Lisboa, Portugal
2012–2015 Bachelor of Visual Communication (focus on Illustration), Academie Beeldende Kunsten Maastricht, The Netherlands
2012 Propedeuse (orientation year), Academie Beeldende Kunsten Maastricht, The Netherlands
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
2015–2018 Research Associate, Graphic Designer and Illustrator, Studio Bonn, Berlin, Germany
2014 Silkscreen workshop and Lithography teachings, Handwerk Markt, Aachen, Germany
2011–2012 Stage designer working assistant, The City Theatre, Aachen, Germany
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025
- Enari Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, The Devil has al the best times
2023
- This is not a white cube Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal, “Flying in a Silver Plane”
2022
- Artco Gallery, Berlin, Germany, “Walking in the High Grass”
2020
- Faculdade Belas Artes U Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, “Forcas Sensiveis”
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
- Enari Gallery x DMW Gallery, Antwerp, BE, “Jumeler”
2024
- Enari Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, “Fabricated Love”
2023
- Dialogue Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal, “You don’t invite 13 to dinner”
2022
- Joshua Tree Gallery of Contemporary Art, Joshua Tree, California, USA, “Nouveau Berlin”
2017
- Galerie Altdorf, Aachen, Germany, “Europa Markt Aachen”
2014
- 48 STUNDEN NEUKÖLLN – A Festival of the Arts: SATT, Berlin
2013
- Artco Gallery, Aachen, Germany, “STARTER”
ART FAIRS
2025
- UVNT Art Fair (with Enari Gallery), Madrid, Spain
2024
- CAN Art Fair (with Enari Gallery), Ibiza, Spain
Exhibitions-
The Devil has all the best times
Tom Solty 5 September - 26 October 2025Enari is proud to present Tom Solty’s first solo exhibition in the gallery space, titled The Devil has all the best times . This new body of work, created between...Read more -
Jumeler | Enari x DMW
11 - 27 July 2025Read more -
Fabricated Love
Emre Özakat, Andrei Nițu, Tom Solty 27 January - 9 March 2024Enari Gallery is pleased to present Fabricated Love , a group exhibition featuring works by Emre Özakat, Andrei Nițu, and Tom Solty. The exhibition serves as a seminal platform, facilitating...Read more
Art fairs-
UVNT Art Fair 2025
6 - 9 March 2025Enari Gallery is thrilled to announce its debut in UVNT with a selection of works by represented artists Douglas Cantor, Ioanna Limniou, Tom Solty, and...Read more -
CAN Art Fair 2024
26 - 30 June 2024Enari Gallery is thrilled to announce its debut in Contemporary Art Now with a selection of works by represented artist Johanna Bath (DE, b. 1980)...Read more
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