Thomas Anfield: Sock Monkey Pop Up Exhibition

Vancouver-based artist Thomas Anfield has found a perfect mix of tragicomedy, playfulness, and human truth in a subject he’s painted for over twenty years: the beloved Sock Monkey. In his latest exhibition, Sock Monkey Scenarios, Anfield explores the labyrinthine and tangled conditions of being human through these iconic, anthropomorphic figures.

The paintings invite viewers into carefully choreographed scenes where Sock Monkeys pose singly or in groups, spinning, slumping, or standing nobly as if thinking great thoughts. Sometimes they appear joyful and lighthearted; other times, grotesque or melancholic. Their gestures and relationships mirror our own, evoking both laughter and reflection.

A contemporary figurative painter and performance artist, Anfield has exhibited internationally across North America, Europe, Russia, and
Africa at venues including The National Gallery of Senegal, and Salon de Plastica Mexicana. He was the co-creator of the company Butoh-A-GO-GO, who were invited by the Moscow Ballet to perform on three different occasions. They were also awarded a full production residency
at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, creating work which then premiered at the Vancouver International Dance Festival. His paintings
have been featured in Modern Painters, Elle, Maclean’s, Vancouver Magazine, and Preview Magazine. Anfield is a Canada Council, Inter-
Arts grant recipient and a Dance grant recipient.