Thomas’ retroreflective works exhibit an interest in the repetition of mass-produced imagery and attention to the hand of the artist, similar to works by Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. Trained as a photographer, Thomas has always focused on framing and context. In this case, he appropriates archival images along with new or rarely used technical processes. Viewers are prompted to shift their position or use a tool to see a moment in its entirety. In both form and content, the work reveals multiple ways to look at a given historical moment or subject. By activating his retroreflective work with a flash photograph, the viewer reveals the latent image, thereby stepping into the role of image maker.

In this extension of the body of retroreflective work, Thomas also incorporates found objects such as a basketball hoop and ball. By utilizing such materials, Thomas requires the viewer to consider the bodies who have historically competed in sports, addressing our visual systems and its role in perpetuating inequality. The topic of sports has long been a focal point for Thomas’s practice. Specifically, how identity, sports and politics interconnect. His work often examines the powerful presence sports has in history as well as today’s society.