'These new works come from a place of self-reflection. In the year since turning 30, he said, he’s been in a contemplative place. “I’m in a phase of looking at my upbringing, my artistic upbringing, my motivations and ambitions as an artist, and my personal story: what stories I find interesting, and the things that come together to represent me,” he said.'
'Thompson’s contemplation of absence goes beyond places to people, too. “There are relationships that are no longer there, too... brothers that don’t speak… things that happen,” he said. It’s bittersweet, with a slightly melancholy undertone. “Send in the Clowns” is about missed opportunity, a kind of silver lining.”
Image: Khalif Tahir Thompson, Playground, 2026
Oil, acrylic, and handmade paper on canvas
240 x 180 cm
94 1/2 x 70 7/8 in
© Khalif Tahir Thompson
Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro
