Thomas Dukes

Research Curator

Thomas Dukes studied photography in the seaside city of Blackpool. In summer, he worked between the Grundy Art Gallery, and a magic shop on the Pleasure Beach. This fixed in him a love for faded coastal tourist towns, a knowledge of photography, and a passion for gallery work. A summer spent with Rembrandt etchings is one of his fondest memories.

There was a short stint in a highstreet commercial gallery, then to Liverpool to study for a Masters in Arts, Aesthetics, and Cultural Institutions. Thomas started work as curatorial assistant at Open Eye Gallery – one of a handful of dedicated photography galleries in the UK – and worked his way up to curator.

The opportunity to apply for a funded PhD in curating came up, and Thomas took it – a collaborative project between the Manchester School of Art (MMU) and Castlefield Gallery. As research curator at Castlefield Gallery he has been exploring the archive of 40 years of working with and for artists. He curated the exhibitions Archives at Play 1 & 2, and has hosted archival workshops with Castlefield Gallery partners Back on Track and Venture Arts.

He likes to watch tennis, play board games and read. He loves his dog.

Portrait illustrated by artist Eve Gittins

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