Thomas Lisle - Lines of Thought

Thomas Lisle presents Lines of Thought, a solo exhibition by British artist, whose work has explored the boundaries of painting for over four decades. Known for bridging traditional and digital media, Lisle’s practice fluidly moves between acrylic on canvas and digital animation created with cutting-edge 3D software used in cinematic visual effects.

In this exhibition, Lisle presents vibrant line-based compositions on canvas alongside a series of digital works he describes as “time-based paintings.” These animations depict paint-like forms flowing, colliding, and transforming in slow motion, extending the language of abstraction into the temporal and virtual realm.

The title Lines of Thought evokes the visual motif shared across both media while also pointing to the algorithmic logic of digital creation. At the same time, it challenges conventional distinctions between analog and digital techniques, proposing painting as a conceptual act—what Leonardo famously called a “mental discourse.”

With Lines of Thought, Lisle offers a vision of painting that is not bound by material but energized by possibility, moving seamlessly between the brushstroke and the code.

Thomas Lisle is a pioneering British artist whose work spans over four decades and bridges the gap between traditional fine art and immersive digital media. A graduate of Jacob Kramer College of Art and the University of Reading's Fine Art Department, Lisle began his artistic journey in the 1980s, developing a distinct visual language that integrates painting, restructured video, and later, digital animation.

Emerging from the vibrant experimental art scene of 1980s London, Lisle’s early installations and projections demonstrated his innovative approach to time-based media. Lisle’s artistic evolution continued into digital media, and from the 2000s onwards, he began producing intricate digital animations and 3D painting videos. His works have been widely showcased through platforms such as Niio and Sedition, and featured in numerous international festivals including FILE (Brazil), Matadac (Spain), and the Lumen Prize touring exhibition.

Lisle’s work is held in significant collections including the Tate Modern, the Museum of Modern Art New York, and the ICA.