By registering light through an idiosyncratic spectrum, the works on view at TMH deconstruct the notions of gallery art, upsetting the established fine art hierarchies. In 2017, she completed a permanent multi-painting installation to counter the lack of natural light at the University Hospital in Angers, and in 2019, she won a public commission in Lyon with her park sculpture Out / Albedo 0.34. This show explores her recent findings: Albedo 100 is one of her first pieces connected to the albedo factor—the scientific measure of a surface’s degree of reflectivity, which we perceive as different colors. Emphasizing the physical, and not just the visual, the assembled works sport fist- pounded, Day-Glo pigments as well as the artist’s actual makeup, found foam, and framed, color-coded packed plastic. The aesthetic is that of a rainbow caught and condensed in each work—inviting and disturbing.

The highlight of the show is Kelvin 2020: with this series of 20 color-calibrated works, Tomkowiak has started to recycle the materials from her spatial installations. The medium of Kelvin 2020 is that of the plastic, atmospheric banners originally installed at the Château-Musée de Tournon-sur-Rhône but packed into funky black square frames. The spectral grid on the wall captures the effect of cascading light from the acclaimed museum intervention, reassembled in the form of unconventional abstract paintings. Once again, Tomkowiak avoids fixing the category and invites viewers to be guided by their own sensations and preoccupations.