THOMAS ELIAS SIDDALL

PhD Student

Research Title: Penumbral Arts Labour: Queer Bonds and the Colonial Unconscious in Taiwan’s Minor Arts Spaces
Research Group: Social Cultural Geographies (SCG)
Thesis Advisor: Assoc Prof Kamalini Ramdas
Co-advisor: Prof Chang Tou Chuang

Thomas Elias Siddall (they/them) is a PhD student interested in the entanglements of cultural industries, and land and labour regulations. Their work investigates these themes through a queer Marxist and decolonial lens, with a specific interest in the "minor arts spaces" of Taiwan—including independent galleries, art book libraries, and artists' studios.

Their current research interrogates how creative labour in Taiwan is shaped by (post)colonial histories and relational ontologies that often elude Euro-American frameworks. By introducing the Taiwanese queer concept of penumbrality to the study of work, they develop the framework of "penumbral arts labour" to describe cultural production shadowed by a colonial unconscious—one that is sedimented in land law and reproduced through state-run institutions.

Utilising a "scavenger methodology" that integrates mapping, interviews, and participatory methods, Thomas aims to archive the labour facilitating the social reproduction of the arts amidst a shifting fine arts landscape in Taiwan. Their work ultimately reframes Taiwan’s cultural sector as a site of constant anti-colonial negotiation, where the survival of minor spaces depends on queer attachments flourishing at the edges of colonial infrastructure.

Originally from Treaty 13 Lands (Toronto, Canada), Thomas holds an MA and BA (Hons) from the University of Toronto. They have lived, studied and worked in Taiwan from 2021-2025, and are a recipient of the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship. Thomas' writing has been published in journals such as Inter-Asia Cultural Studies and Cultural Geographies.