Tom Bogaert documented genocide and human rights abuses in Africa and Asia for fourteen years for Amnesty International and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. In the spring of 2004 he resigned to become an artist and moved to New York City where he participated in the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Studio Progam.
In 2010, Tom Bogaert embarked on a two year Grand Tour of the Near East where he is working on ‘Impression, proche orient' (IPO) a project referencing issues relevant to contemporary Middle East society including politics, artistic identity and cucumbers.
The first tangible results of the artist’s work on IPO were on view during his residency at Makan Art Space in Amman, Jordan in February, March and April, 2010.
The final IPO results - in the form of a new site-specific installation - will be presented in New York City in 2013.