Emily Mae Smith « Arrested Motion

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Showing: Emily Mae Smith – “Kin” @ Simone Subal Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, October 7, 2020

A few weeks ago, Simone Subal Gallery in New York opened a new show from Emily Mae Smith entitled Kin. Much of the American artist’s reoccurring motifs can be seen in the new work – the anthropomorphic broom, teeth, references to the female form, the bespectacled face – carefully chosen imagery that has made appearances in her painting practice for the last decade. Underlying all of Smith’s work are sly references to feminist ideals, which combined with her homages to different art movements, point out the lack of […]

Upcoming: Emily Mae Smith – “Avalon” @ Galerie Perrotin (Tokyo)

Posted by sleepboy, August 22, 2019

On August 28th, Emily Mae Smith will be opening her first show in Japan at the local branch of Galerie Perriton. Entitled Avalon, the exhibition will no doubt include pieces like the one above (Gleaner Odalisque) that feature the American artist’s signature broom figure as well as other works that reference a range from the history of painting (ie: Symbolism, Surrealism, and Pop Art) to Art Nouveau graphics to animation. Underlying all of Smith’s work are subtle feminist ideals of which “Exhibit A” is her choice of […]

Showing: Emily Mae Smith @ Consortium Museum

Posted by sleepboy, January 6, 2019

A couple weeks ago in Dijon, France, the Consortium Museum opened the first ever institutional exhibition devoted to Emily Mae Smith. Bringing together about forty artworks made between 2014 and 2018 from private collections, the show gives a nice overview of the American artist’s recent output. Enjoy some more photos below but the video is a must watch as Smith talks in-depth about various aspects of her imagery like the importance of the female form in her work (sometimes addressed subtly), how her signature anthropomorphic broom figure started, […]

Showing: Emily Mae Smith & Genesis Belanger – “A Strange Relative” @ Perrotin Gallery (New York)

Posted by sleepboy, November 14, 2018

A couple weekends ago, the New York branch of Perrotin Gallery opened a joint exhibition from Emily Mae Smith & Genesis Belanger. A Strange Relative features an intriguing pairing of paintings by Smith and sculptures by Belanger, an amazingly cohesive showing that can be taken as a conversation between the two Brooklyn-based artists. Much attention to detail can be seen in this surreal collaboration, especially in the placement of objects that mirror the imagery in the canvases – an example (seen below) of which is Smith’s take […]

Previews: Emily Mae Smith – “Feast of Totems” @ Contemporary Fine Arts (Berlin)

Posted by sleepboy, June 8, 2018

Tomorrow night (June 9th), a new exhibition from Emily Mae Smith opens to the public at Contemporary Fine Arts in Berlin. Entitled Feast of Totems, the show is well named as it features the re-occurring imagery of fruits, droplets, tongues, lips, and teeth that signal a grotesque consumption running through the new body of work. Also seen in multiple paintings is one of the Brooklyn-based artist’s most recognizable motifs, the totemic broom lady posed in familiar positions that harken back to classic paintings in art history. Utilizing a flat […]

Showing: Emily Mae Smith – “The Sphinx or The Caress” @ Simone Subal Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, October 8, 2017

A solo from Emily Mae Smith will be showing through the most of this month in New York at Simone Subal Gallery. Entitled The Sphinx or The Carress, the new body of work sees the locally-based artist continue to pull together disparate sources of inspiration to go along with some of her recognizable characters like the “broom lady” and spectacled figures. Rendered at times in a flat perspective and at times photorealistic, her imagery spans riffs on classic paintings (this time Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’ Oedipus and the […]

Previews: Emily Mae Smith – “Tesla Girls” @ Rodolphe Janssen

Posted by SAL, October 11, 2016

On October 13th, Rodolphe Janssen in Brussels will be showing for the first time the works of American artist Emily Mae Smith. The concept of Tesla Girls was inspired by Christopher Priest’s 1995 novel The Prestige and the idea of a faulty teleportation machine that creates nonidentical duplicates of a person. With this idea in mind, Smith is continuing her signature series of female portraits recognizable by round glasses, sharp hairstyles and lack of distinguishable features. These images render the female body as a blank canvas, open for interpretation. With the […]

Showing: Emily Mae Smith – “Honest Espionage” @ Mary Mary Gallery

Posted by SAL, May 16, 2016

Mary Mary Gallery in Glasgow is currently showing Honest Espionage, a solo show by Emily Mae Smith. Opened on April 8th and staying on view through May 28th, this is probably most important presentation by the Brooklyn-based artist since her last solo in NYC or being included in Unrealism, organized by Jeffrey Deitch and Larry Gagosian during Basel Week Miami 2015 (covered). The exhibition consists of a new oils on linen featuring Smith’s mix of divergent styles and visual elements. Though initially captivating due to their clean, graphic feel, it’s the variety […]