Always fascinated by “pop-up” books, Thomas Allen displays an infallible talent for the creation of the illusion of three dimensions, using old pulp fiction books as the subjects for his sets. These books with tattered covers and yellowed pages are not mere objects to display on a shelf, for the artist, but a prodigious inventory of actors and scenes, just waiting to be directed. 

Thomas Allen patiently cuts out the figures, freeing them from their two-dimensional state: the actors are then raised from their covers and come alive thanks to skillful use of lighting and the lens.

Bent and positioned, the scripted drama is staged. There will be present both new and past works.

Thomas Allen (American, b. 1963) never dreamed that his answer to the question, “What do you do for a living?” would one day be, “I recycle books!” Born in Highland Park, Michigan and raised in Redford, Michigan, he is represented by Foley Gallery (New York, NY) G. Gibson Gallery (Seattle, WA) and 1000eventi Gallery (Milan, IT). As an award-winning artist (Thomas Allen (American, b. 1963) never dreamed that his answer to the question, “What do you do for a living?” would one day be, “I recycle books!” Born in Highland Park, Michigan and raised in Redford, Michigan, he is represented by Foley Gallery (New York, NY) G. Gibson Gallery (Seattle, WA) and 1000eventi Gallery (Milan, IT). As an award-winning artist (McKnight Fellowship for Photographers, 1996 and Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, 2000), Allen’s photographs of repurposed and re-imagined paperbacks have appeared in a var), Allen’s photographs of repurposed and re-imagined paperbacks have appeared in a variety of national and international magazines, including Harper’s, The New Yorker, Men’s Health, Photonews and O Magazine. He has illustrated book covers for James Ellroy, Jane Hamilton and Jasper Forde. His monograph, UNCOVERED: Photographs by Thomas Allen [Aperture Foundation, NY] was released in 2007 with a foreword written by design legend Chip Kidd. Allen lives and works on a 4.5 acre farm in southwest Michigan with his wife and eight-year-old daughter. His other interests include beekeeping and soap making.

1000eventi Gallery
Via Porro Lambertighi 3
Milano 20159 Italia
Tel. +39 02 66823916
info@1000eventigallery.it
www.1000eventigallery.it

Opening hours:
Tuesday - Saturday 
From 14.00 to 19.00