The work of the artist Zoe Toms comes from somewhere deep within the human psyche. She uses the female form to recall memories from her childhood and through her delicate sculptures, pictures and animations, expresses how it feels to be alive and living in a sometimes frightening world. She explores the fine line we tread as human beings between positive and negative emotions and thoughts. The nest is something that can be protective and secure whilst also being fragile and vulnerable, as in life itself.

“I make art primarily to explore human emotion. I use it as a way for me to communicate, especially with myself. My art tells me about compassion and love that is experienced as a human, and takes me to the darkest parts of myself, questioning the human psyche. It is important for me to seek truth through my art, to have a free mind and to find a place where I belong.”

“My art is made up of many layers, in its subject and how it is constructed. I work on memories from childhood and growing up. Each sculpture, drawing, and animation has many stories to tell, and they tell me about myself. It is often that I don‘t understand a piece until years after I have created it. I use the human figure to express myself, especially the female form, which is some-thing that runs strongly through my work. I find that this is something that I relate to easiest and it has become a signature to my work.”

Born in Colchester, England, in 1978, Zoe Toms studied sculpture and drawing at Stafford Art College. In 2010 she moved to Bonn in Germany and has exhibited in Bonn, Cologne, London and Beijing.