Lecturer, Art History & Theory
Thomas Readett is an Established Artist and a Ngarrindjeri/Kaurna man who was born and raised on Kaurna Country (Adelaide, SA) where he continues to practice and live. Thomas’ practice spans drawing, painting ,video, music, advocacy, writing, education and programming.
Thomas has been a drawer his entire life ever since he was a child, wanting to further his career as a professional artist he began study at Adelaide Central School of Art in 2011, and it was then he began painting. This is now one of his main practices among others. Thomas graduated his study at Adelaide Central School of Art completing his Associate Degree and Bachelor of Visual Arts Degree (BVA) in 2015 mastering in Painting and Video work. During his time at Adelaide Central School of Art he held group shows with fellow graduates and ended the degree with his final body of video work based around ideas of Solitude and a personal journey through his identity.
Thomas’ self-exploration and personal narratives become opportunities to reflect the wider world, through themes of love, loss, and grief. Thomas’ graphic aesthetic is powerfully rendered in black and white, with careful attention to detail. He melds street art style with classical training to produce work that is technical and conceptual. In his recent works he pushes his practice into 3D sculptural space, playing with the pictorial plane and interrupting our usual modes of interpretation.
Thomas has since exhibited solo shows “Beneath the Skin”, “Dark Light”, “From Within” , “Complexities” and “First Person(s) with works developed through studio practice and artist residency programs such as the SALA Country Health SA/University of South Australia Glenside Mental Health residency.
Thomas is also an established large-scale Mural artist, working on numerous Mural projects, public sculpture and more. Thomas has worked with most Councils across SA, the SA Government, Create SA, and has also worked with arts organisations such as, the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), Adelaide Central School of Art (ACSA), Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) and many more.
In June 2026 Thomas illustrated his first children’s book titled “Finding My Culture” published by Little Book Press & Raising Literacy Australia.