Jeff Thomas

Jeff Thomas (born 1956) is an Onondaga Nation photographer, curator, and cultural theorist who works and lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

Thomas is known for his photographic work that addresses and interrogates the place of First Nations people in contemporary Canadian society. Often, his works explore the disjuncture between depictions he sees of Indigenous people as relics of the past (for instance, in museums), and contemporary Indigenous life as he views it.

His work includes the "Indians on Tour" series began in 2000, in which stereotypical "Indian" figurines are posed against natural or urban landscapes, otherwise against historical monuments and contemporary culture, as Thomas' photographs document First Nations people. In his "Vanishing Race" series, he depicts encounters with stereotypical depictions of Indigeneity.

Early life Thomas was born in 1956 in Buffalo, New York. Growing up, he spent time in Buffalo as well as the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, Ontario Museum of the American Indian Washington Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne Museum der Weltkulturen Frankfurt The British Museum, London Ottawa Art Gallery Winnipeg Art Gallery Woodland Cultural Centre, Brantford, Ontario 2008: Com·mem·o·ra·tion, MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, Ontario