Tom de Freston

Tom de Freston (born May 23, 1983, London) is a visual artist and writer based in Oxford. His work is known for his focus on images of humanity, despair, that ‘convey our most haunted fears about a world struggling for survival’ (Richard Cork). His practice is dedicated to the construction of multimedia worlds, combining paintings, film, writing and performance into immersive visceral narratives.

Career
De Freston graduated from Cambridge University in 2007. His painterly, literary and stage projects are often collaborative and interdisciplinary, and frequently draw on literary, art historical, personal, and social sources and themes. Regular collaborators include his wife the writer Kiran Millwood Hargrave, the film maker Mark Jones (Unmarked Films), the writer and academic Professor Simon Palfrey and the academic Dr. Pablo de Orellana. Past and ongoing collaborative projects include I Saw This, Demons Land, Truthtellers, Poor Tom, Orpheus and Eurydice and Scavengers.



He started exhibiting professionally in 2008 and to date has had twenty-six solo shows. He was represented by Breese Little Gallery (London) from 2012 to 2016. He is currently represented by No20 arts, London. His debut solo show with No20 Arts was From Darkness, from March to July 2022. A monograph on de Freston’s work by the writer and academic Dr. Stephen Kenyon Owen is forthcoming with Gatehouse Press, 2024.



His writing is represented by the literary agent Harriet Moore at David Higham Associates. His debut work of narrative non-fiction, Wreck was published by Granta in 2022. His second narrative non-fiction book is forthcoming with Granta in March 2024. Julia and the Shark (2021, Hachette) in collaboration with his wife, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year and the Wainwright Prize for Children's Writing on Nature and Conservation. It won the inaugural Waterstones Children’s Gift of the year. In September 2022 their next collaboration, Leila and the Blue Fox will be published (Hachette). Previous publications include various collaborative books. Orpheus and Eurydice, a graphic poetic novel in collaboration with his wife, Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Bloomsbury Academic). Poor Tom, a collaboration with the academic and writer Professor Simon Palfrey in conjunction with the exhibition Shakespeare’s Dead at the Bodleian Library, Oxford University. Charnel House, a poetic graphic novel in collaboration with 37 contemporary poets and writers (Bridgedoor Press), which won best anthology at the Saboteur Awards. House of the Deaf Man, a collaboration with the poet Andrea Porter (Gatehouse Press). A Fools World, a poetic visual pack of Tarot Cards with poet Helen Ivory (Gatehouse Press) which won best collaboration at the Saboteur Awards. Scavengers, poems and paintings in response to the plays of Shakespeare in collaboration with Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Cambridge University). Ekphrasis, poems in response to de Freston’s painting. Exhibition catalogues include, From Darkness (No 20 Arts), Demons Land (National Trust), On Falling (Breese Little), Reflections (Christ’s College, Cambridge), Deposition (Green Pebble).

Since 2016 he has been the artistic director of Medicine Unboxed. From 2016-17 he was the inaugural Creative Fellow at Birmingham University. In 2014 he held the Aldeburgh Lookout Tower residency as part of the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival. From 2013-2015 he was Artist in Residence from Medicine Unboxed. In 2012 he represented UK at World Event Young Artists 2012, Nottingham. In 2012 he was Artist in Residence, The Expansionists in Whitstable with Kiran Millwood Hargrave. In 2012 he held the Hatley Artist in Residence at the Centre for Recent Drawing (C4RD). From 2010-2011 he was a Leverhulme Artist in Residence, Cambridge University. From 2009 to 2011 he was Artist in Residence at The Leys in Cambridge. From 2008 to September 2009 he was the Levy Plumb Visual Arts Residency, Christ’s College Cambridge.

Two essays on his work were included in Figuring out figurative art (Routledge). Essays on his work have included pieces by Sir Nicholas Serota, Sir Trevor Nunn, Christiana Spens, Dr. Pablo de Orellana, Dr. Stephen Kenyon Owen, Chloe Ashby, Dr. James Cahill, Professor Lydia Goer, Dr. Sam Rose, Dr. Damien Freeman, Dr. Rye Holmboe, Dr. Christiana Spens, Simon Martin, Sean Troth, Dr. Anna Ferrari, Francesca Goodwin, Natalia Orellana and Richard Cork. Reviews and essays on his work have appeared in the Guardian, Elephant, TANK, Trebuchet and Quietus.



Awards

 * 2021: Waterstones Children’s Gift of the year winner for Julia and the Shark with Kiran Millwood Hargrave
 * 2021: Waterstones book of the year shortlist for Julia and the Shark with Kiran Millwood Hargrave
 * 2016–2022: National Trust, Oxford University, Queensland University and AHRC follow-on funding for Demons Land project
 * 2016: Saboteur Award winner for A Fool’s Worlds
 * 2016: Arts Council GFA for OE exhibition and performances
 * 2016: Battersea Arts Centre and Guardian Artists Bedrooms commission
 * 2016: Arts Council GFA for OE film
 * 2015: Saboteur Award winner for The Charnel House
 * 2012: Represented UK at World Event Young Artists 2012, NottinghamFrom_Darkness,_solo_exihibiton_of_Tom_de_Freston's_work_at_No20_Arts,_London.jpg

Residencies

 * 2014: Aldeburgh Lookout Tower residency – as part of the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival
 * 2013–2015: Artist in Residence - Medicine Unboxed
 * 2012: Artist in Residence, The Expansionists – Whitstable
 * 2012: Hatley Artist in Residence, Centre for Recent Drawing (C4RD)
 * 2010–2011: Leverhulme Artist in Residence, Cambridge University
 * 2009–2011: Artist in Residence, The Leys
 * 2008–2009: Levy Plumb Visual Arts Residency, Christ’s College

Further appointments

 * 2016 onwards: Artistic Director, Medicine Unboxed
 * 2016: Birmingham University Creative Fellow