Josh Keyes
David B. Smith Gallery or the gallery formerly known as Limited Addiction is showcasing three of their artists this year at Art Basel (Miami) – Josh Keyes, Jason Thielke, and Gregory Euclide. The exhibit will be at the Aqua Wynwood this year starting November 4th. These artists all have their distinctive styles that we like: Keyes with his “cubism” and ecological themes, Thielke with his architectural interpretations of the human form, and Euclide with his multi-layered landscapes…
David has kindly sent us some preview images from each artist to share with our readers.  He is also taking this opportunity at Art Basel to announce the renaming of the gallery and a fresh start for 2009 with Limited Addiction only remaining as the publishing arm of the gallery. He sat down with AM to talk about this as well as answer some other questions after the jump.
Jason Thielke
Arrested Motion (AM): Although you are keeping Limited Addiction as the name of the publishing arm of your gallery, we notice you will be re-naming the gallery. Can you tell us a little about that and what it will mean for the gallery?
David Smith (DS): This gallery name change has been in the works for over a year, and it’s exciting to see the transition take place now. While we love that name, we found that it led some people to assume the kind of art that we would show. We don’t want to be categorized as edgy, urban, new etc. By having a ‘classic’ gallery name, we escape this sort of confinement and the viewer can make that decision on their own. When I brought up the idea to a few of our artists, they were very supportive and the evolution was encouraged.
Otherwise, there’s not too much that will change with the gallery. Our branding will be different, and we’ve been working on a new website that will launch very soon in conjunction with Aqua Wynwood. We’re going to strip things down a bit with these elements to ensure that the focus remains on the art and artists within our program.
That being said, when Limited Addiction is referenced for publishing, people tend to just focus on the playful twist of ‘edition’. It works well in that context.
AM:Â Will you still be showing some of the artists we have grown to love?
DS: Yes. We’ll also show some artists that you might not be familiar with yet, but you will grow to love.
Gregory Euclide
AM:Â As collectors, we have always been interested in how your gallery started. Can you tell us a little about that?
DS: Limited Addiction began as an online forum (limitedaddictionforum.com). It was created at a time when there was no online community to focus on and discuss this particular movement of art.
A little bit after the forum was up and running, I had one or two artists ask me for some advice regarding decisions that they were looking to make. I realized that if I had a comfortable enough rapport and it felt right for them to naturally seek my advice, then it was worth considering the idea of a gallery.
It wasn’t easy opening up a contemporary art space in Denver. If the forum hadn’t existed, I would never have pursued the idea. It was critical to have an established reputation and a bit of name recognition. It was the right time, and at that time there was a void in the Denver art scene for the style of art that we wanted to show. There were some great galleries, but there was also room for us. It made sense to move forward with it.
Over the last year or so, the forum has slowed down a bit. The forum originally focused on a couple of artists that the early stage of the online community was interested in talking about. When the gallery came along, it put us into a different and difficult position. Those of us involved with, and who created the forum, were driving a lot of the discussions and we didn’t feel comfortable pushing our gallery agenda on the community. We all became sensitive to the content of our contributions and our participation slowed quite a bit. In addition, the aesthetic direction that we wanted to take the gallery in was a little different than what Limited Addiction was originally about.
In the last year or so, other forums were created to directly speak to the specific interests of people within this culture and scene. We all think that it’s great to see that sort of evolution take place. It’s almost a relief, because I can now focus on the gallery without feeling conflicted or obligated in any sort of way. If something that we’re doing is of interest, then other people can discuss it.
Gregory Euclide (detail)
AM:Â How is Denver as a market and have they been receptive to the kind of art you are showing?
DS: The community in Denver is very receptive to, and supportive of us. Our artists tend to be very appreciative of the sincere response and interest from our local audience.
The gallery scene is obviously different than cities such as LA or NY, and that has served to be a great advantage. We’re able to make a significant cultural impact on the city, and this also leads to an extended level of coverage and recognition for the artists that we work with.
It’s also nice being located in an area that has so much environmental and cultural tourism to offer.
This city has gained a lot of recognition lately for its art scene. The Denver Art Museum (DAM) and the Denver MCA have recently undergone significant changes, and these institutions (among others) have put on some impressive exhibitions lately. I can’t get enough of the Daniel Richter exhibit at the DAM right now. I’m also looking forward to the opening of the Clyfford Still Museum in 2010.
It will be exciting to watch this growth continue…
AM: Thanks for your time Dave. We look forward to seeing what 2009 has to offer from your gallery as well as all the pieces for your show at Art Basel.
