The child of two politically engaged artists, he was exposed to art at a young age, and became interested in a career as an artist while a student at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC. His photographic works have included citations of the branding of enslaved people in the United States as well as the objectification of Black men’s bodies in contemporary American culture. His practice also incorporates mirrors and reflective vinyl into protest imagery, which are activated by flash photography that puts the viewer in the position of the photographer. Other subjects include gun violence, protest imagery, and the complicated nature of storytelling. His sculptures have been installed in public spaces in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Boston.

In 2016, Thomas reinforced his belief in the power of art as an agent for change through the establishment of For Freedoms. The artist collective, cofounded by Thomas with artist Eric Gottesman, serves as a platform for creative civic engagement in the United States and uses art to deepen public explorations of freedom in the contemporary moment.

Thomas earned a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and an MFA and MA from the California College of the Arts, San Francisco. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Aperture West Book Prize (2008); Guggenheim Fellowship (2018); and Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship (2019). His work has been featured in group exhibitions at the Studio Museum, such as Frequency (2005); The Bearden Project (2012), and Speaking of People: Ebony, Jet and Contemporary Art (2014).