Sable Elyse Smith
Sable Elyse Smith (born 1986)[1] is an interdisciplinary artist and writer.[2] Smith works in photography, neon, text, appropriated imagery,[3] sculpture, and video installation connecting language, violence, and pop culture with autobiographical subject matter.[4] In 2018, Smith was an Artist-in Residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem.[5] The artist lives and works in Richmond, Virginia, and New York City.[6]
Early life and education
Smith was born in 1986[1] in Los Angeles, California.[2] Smith holds a B. A. in studio art and film from Oglethorpe University and a MFA in Design & Technology from Parsons the New School for Design.[5]
Work
Smith often uses surveillance tape to explore the structure of the incarcerated labor system its corruption.[6]
Smith makes sculptures and two-dimensional works that raise questions about societal problems. Her work is inspired by her father who been incarcerated for most of her life.[7] Her work uses common objects from the prison system to question labor, class, and memory with emphasis on the everyday effects of institutional violence.[8][3] Smith uses coloring books for kids used in court setting as a subject in some of her 2D works.[3] Smith has talked about her work stating: “The work should never say the same thing to every viewer. It is multi-vocal in its address and affect—that's the point."[1]
Exhibitions
Solo
- 2019 - or the song spilling out, Carlos/Ishikawa, London, UK.[9][10]
- 2018 - Ordinary Violence, Haggerty Museum, Milwaukee, WI.[11]
- 2018 - BOLO: be on (the) lookout, JTT, New York, New York.[12]
- 2017-18 - Sable Elyse Smith: Ordinary Violence, Queens Museum, Queens, New York.[13]
Group
- 2019 - Great Force, Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond, Richmond, VA.[14]
- 2019 - MOOD | Studio Museum Artists in Residence 2018 - 19, MoMA PS1, Long Island City, NY.
- 2019 - Colored People Time: Banal Presents, Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.[15]
- 2019 - Mirror/Echo/Tilt, New Museum, New York, NY.[16]
- 2017 - Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon, New Museum, New York, NY.[17]
References
- Mafi, Nick. "Young Black Artists Speak About the Role of Art in This Moment". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- "Queens Museum". Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- Reid, Tiana (2018-12-13). "Artist Sable Elyse Smith Was Horrified by a Kids' Coloring Book About the Courts". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- "An Artist's Bond with Her Imprisoned Father". Hyperallergic. 2017-11-11. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- "Studio Museum in Harlem Announces 2018 Artists-in-Residence". Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- "Artist Sable Elyse Smith Takes on the Prison Narrative with New Work". Cultured Magazine. 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- "An Artist's Bond with Her Imprisoned Father". Hyperallergic. 2017-11-11. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- "MOOD: Studio Museum Artists in Residence 2018–19 | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- "Sable Elyse Smith at CARLOS/ISHIKAWA". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- McLean, Matthew. "Sable Elyse Smith Responds to the Rigged Logic of the US Criminal Justice System". Frieze (209). ISSN 0962-0672. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- McAdams, Shane (2018-12-18). "Sable Elyse Smith's 'Ordinary Violence' at the Haggerty Museum of Art". Shepherd Express. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Musser, Amber Jamilla (2018-12-11). "Sable Elyse Smith: BOLO: Be on (the) Lookout". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- "Queens Museum". Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- "Great Force – Art Papers". www.artpapers.org. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- Reid, Tiana (2019-12-19). "In "Banal Presents," Three Black Artists Intervene in Vast Social Institutions, from the Prison System to Education". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Mitter, Siddhartha (2019-08-01). "Silence Speaking Volumes: Artists Confront the Culture of Incarceration". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- Cotter, Holland (2017-09-28). "When It Comes to Gender, Let Confusion Reign". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-17.