holy arm gauntlet

Overview

holy arm gauntlet presents recent work by Kamberri/Boorloo based artist Tom Campbell positioning embroidery as a location for disagreement. The act of disagreeing is a long-held interest, particularly in the ways in which it both forges and fractures connection. In parallel, Tom considers how poetry might act as a way into navigating this dynamic. If poetry resists the idea that words possess one meaning and by nature embraces ambiguity and plurality, what possibilities does this open up for reframing the ways one experiences the bodily sensation of being 'in disagreement?'

Tom is an artist and writer whose work traces muscle memories across his Kadazan/Scottish lineages, through textiles and poetry. He has shown work in Gadigal Nura/Sydney, Naarm/Melbourne, and nipaluna/Hobart, and across Kamberri/Canberra. Recent projects include to be both free and safe, commissioned for the 2024 Canberra Art Biennial, working with artists Joanne Leong and Esther Carlin, and Tension project (working title), a research project with Zora Pang and Jessica Tanto supported through Cahoots Lab 2025, an initiative of You Are Here.

Tom has worked across philanthropy and fundraising, most recently as Development Manager, National Gallery of Australia, and is currently General Manager, pvi collective.