A Return to Bold Color and Curated Chaos
After summer months dedicated to our annual clearance sale, our Pure Space Gallery is ready to shift the spotlight back where it belongs—on the artists. We’re delighted to welcome Kim Thoré for a vibrant solo exhibition, opening with a reception on September 6th from 11 AM to 4 PM. Thoré is more than an artist—she is a storyteller, a digital alchemist, and a provocateur who thrives on blending the unexpected. Her work winks as much as it dazzles, inviting us to see familiar icons and cultural imagery through a lens that is equal parts vintage and visionary.
This upcoming show is not only a celebration of Thoré’s multidisciplinary journey but also a moment for Pure Space Gallery to reaffirm its commitment to creating space for bold, contemporary voices in art. For those who crave color, texture, narrative, and edge, this exhibition will be nothing short of unforgettable.
From Early Foundations to Multidisciplinary Mastery
Every great artist has an origin story, and for Kim Thoré, it begins with a paintbrush at the age of eight. That early introduction set the stage for a lifelong relationship with visual expression. By the time most children were still experimenting with crayons, Thoré was diving into sculpture, painting, and design. Her early dedication led her to be selected for the North Carolina Governor’s School for Art, a prestigious honor that confirmed her natural talent and relentless curiosity.
Throughout her college years, Thoré built on those foundations, refining her technical skills in traditional fine art while simultaneously developing a hunger for experimentation. What sets her apart is not simply her mastery of form, but her refusal to stay confined by one medium or tradition. Where others might have remained in the lane of painting or sculpture, Thoré leaned into the evolving possibilities of contemporary practice.
Her trajectory as an artist speaks to a larger truth: creativity is not static. It grows, adapts, and sometimes explodes into entirely new forms.
The Leap Into Digital Collage
In 2014, Thoré made a defining pivot that would come to characterize her practice: she embraced digital collage. This medium, which merges her traditional training with digital innovation, allows her to push boundaries in ways paint and canvas alone could not.
Digital collage is not merely about layering images; in Thoré’s hands, it becomes a dynamic exploration of color, fashion, and cultural icons. Her pieces are unapologetically bold, fusing the tactile sensibilities of fine art with the fast-moving, hyper-saturated language of digital media.
The result? Works that feel at once nostalgic and shockingly contemporary. Vintage motifs rub elbows with high-fashion references. Historical figures get reframed in neon palettes. Cultural icons are placed in entirely new contexts, forcing us to re-examine the stories we tell about identity, fame, and beauty.
Thoré herself describes her aesthetic as “a little vintage, a little visionary, and 100% unapologetic.” It’s that refusal to apologize—to dilute her vision for the sake of conformity—that makes her work so resonant with today’s audiences.
Educator, Innovator, Influencer
Thoré’s influence doesn’t stop at her own studio practice. She is also a trailblazer in digital art education. For over nine years, she has been one of the only instructors in digital collage at the Sawtooth School for Visual Art, inspiring a new generation of creators to experiment with technology as a medium for storytelling.
Her commitment to teaching reveals a central thread in her career: the belief that art should evolve and that artists must have the courage to step into uncharted territory. By opening doors for others to explore digital collage, she’s ensuring that the medium itself continues to grow and gain recognition within the broader art world.
Her reputation has been further solidified through features in numerous publications and the inclusion of her work in private collections across Europe, the Southeast, and the West Coast. Each exhibition and article expands her reach, but perhaps more importantly, each student she mentors becomes part of her artistic legacy.
The Art of the Wink
Describing Thoré’s work often comes back to one word: playful. But this is not playfulness for its own sake—it’s a deliberate strategy. Where some art seeks to whisper quietly to the soul, Thoré’s creations wink. They are clever, irreverent, and unafraid to confront the viewer with layered meaning.
This sense of curated chaos is what gives her work its energy. Images collide in unexpected ways, yet there’s always an underlying sense of order—of an artist who knows exactly when to disrupt and when to balance. That dance between chaos and control is central to the digital collage process, and Thoré executes it with both confidence and flair.
In her collages, you might find Marilyn Monroe brushing shoulders with modern streetwear, or bold vintage typography set against dreamlike, digitally rendered backdrops. Every element is carefully chosen, but the overall effect feels spontaneous, like catching lightning in a bottle.
It’s no wonder her work doesn’t just get noticed—it gets collected.
Why Pure Space Gallery Is the Perfect Stage
At Pure Space Gallery, we pride ourselves on being a place where art and community converge. After weeks of summer sales and retail-driven activity, the gallery transforms once again into a sanctuary for creative voices. Hosting Kim Thoré feels particularly fitting at this moment.
Her work embodies the kind of boldness we want to celebrate—art that challenges, delights, and refuses to be ignored. In a world that often rewards subtlety or sameness, Thoré dares to wink, to push boundaries, and to remind us that art should make us feel something visceral.
The timing also couldn’t be better. As we enter the fall season, there’s a collective desire for renewal and inspiration. Thoré’s show delivers exactly that: a chance to recharge our senses with explosions of color and provocative imagery.
What to Expect at the Exhibition
Visitors to the exhibition will encounter a series of works that embody Thoré’s hallmark style:
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Vivid Color Palettes – Saturated hues that command attention, reminding us that color is not decoration but emotion in motion.
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Cultural Icons Reimagined – Figures we think we know are reframed in new contexts, forcing us to reconsider their cultural weight.
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Fashion and Design Elements – A nod to Thoré’s fascination with the visual language of fashion, from vintage textiles to contemporary trends.
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Curated Chaos – A sense of deliberate juxtaposition, where images crash and collide yet resolve into something harmonious.
The exhibition is not meant to be passively observed—it’s meant to be experienced. Expect to be surprised. Expect to smile. Expect to walk away with questions you didn’t know you had.
Why Kim Thoré Matters Right Now
In an era of fleeting digital images and mass-produced visuals, Thoré’s work reclaims the digital medium as something intentional, artistic, and deeply human. By bridging the gap between traditional fine art and contemporary media, she demonstrates that technology does not replace artistry—it amplifies it.
Her voice in the art world also speaks to a broader cultural moment. We are collectively navigating questions about identity, representation, and what it means to live in a hyper-visual, hyper-connected society. Thoré’s collages don’t offer neat answers, but they do offer provocative entry points into the conversation.
Most importantly, her work is a reminder that art can be both serious and playful, both critical and celebratory. It can wink, laugh, and provoke all at once. And in that complexity, it becomes unforgettable.
Join Us
We invite you to join us at Pure Space Gallery on September 6th from 11 AM to 4 PM for the opening reception of Kim Thoré’s Iconic Exhibition. This is more than an art show—it’s a celebration of creative risk-taking, of unapologetic vision, and of the joy that comes when an artist dares to rewrite the rules.
Whether you are a longtime collector, an admirer of contemporary digital art, or simply someone curious to experience something new, this is a show you won’t want to miss.
At Pure Space Gallery, we believe in giving art—and artists—the space they deserve. And in this case, that space belongs to Kim Thoré.
Closing Thought
Thoré’s career is a reminder that the best art does not sit quietly in the corner. It enters the room, locks eyes with you, and—if you’re lucky—winks.
On September 6th, we’ll open the doors to a gallery filled with that very energy. We couldn’t be more excited to share it with you.