Tobias Wilkinson MRSS

Tobias Wilkinson was born into a North London family where both his parents and all four grandparents were artists. His grandfather, Norman Wilkinson, invented ‘Dazzle’ painting which later influenced Picasso. Other relations included St Ives artist Margaret Mellis, and potter Anne Stokes.

This early influence turned Tobias away from the art world and he pursued a military career and other work before graduating in Fine Art from Central St. Martins in 2005 as a mature student and later gained a master’s degree in documentary photography from the London College of Communication.

He works between London, where he was born, and a studio in the Taunus mountains in central Germany. His work is held by a number of private collections in the UK and overseas and he is a Member of the Royal Society of Sculptors.

His early work evolved from an interest in stone carving, truth to materials and a continued interest in modernism, a reaction against the orthodoxies of conceptualism and the cynicism of postmodernism he experienced at art school. He later developed an eclectic practice with a variety of routes into the investigation of the relationship between form and content involving sculpture, painting, drawing and photography.

He has developed his current practice to focus three dimensional relief work which is connected to people, identity and the sense of place. His interest is in form and its importance in creating the experience of unity, balance and harmony.

"My work is a by-product of exploring the act of seeing. 

Like Robert Rauschenberg I find ideas limiting. But curiosity; that’s the thing. I am curious about the world and the people in it. I seek to understand rather than to persuade. I am interested in the way things fit together - or don't. 

My work over many years resembles a life long foundation course in the acts of looking and doing. My studio is a laboratory not a factory. Musicians are lauded for their ability to play a variety of instruments. Actors for their craft expertise in mastering a wide range of roles. I have set about mastering a range of visual media and understanding the specific nature of each."

Exhibitions:

February 2024 - Royal Overseas League, London (group)

December 2023 - March 2024 Kronberg Tourismus Info, Germany

April - June 2022 Wissenschaftliches Kabinett, Kronberg, Germany

January - February 2022 National Army Museum, London

November 2019 London College of Communication, Southwark

March 2014 Hiscox Gallery, City of London (group)

January 2009 Chelsea Arts Club, London

May 2008 Secrets & Shadows, Foyle’s Book Shop, London (group)

February 2007 Piers Feetham Gallery, Fulham Road, London

May 2006 Battersea Contemporary Art Fair, London(group)

October 2005 Ardent Art – Affordable Art Fair, London(group)

April 2005 Hop Exchange, Southwark Street, London 

March 2005 Osborne Studio Gallery, Motcomb Street, London

October 2004 Affordable Art Fair, Will’s Art Warehouse, London(group) 

June 2003 Summerleaze Gallery, Salisbury 

June 2002 Bite, The Fresh Taste of Art, Meunier Gallery, Southwark Street, London (group)