Everything that Holds

We so often equate states of being, feelings, or perceptions to narrowed epitomes that discard complexity. Strength and power, beauty and flawlessness, assertion and aura, can become interchangeable regardless of the subtleties that differentiate them. Yet some of the most acute experiences of one’s life may occur in liminal territories – the contours of which may remain somewhat undefined and porous. There is incredible grace to be found in these blurred spaces and interstices. In their passing or unspoken nature, we may encounter the unbeknown.

Smith’s entire practice takes shape from the mere matter of the ungraspable. Fleeting, her paintings captivate by their understated, undeniable radiance, and magnetic presence, which contrasts unequivocally with their apparent minimal nature. These semi-abstract scenes, evoking ephemeral ever-changing skies, play with the limits of perception. Where does white end and color start? When does an all-encompassing shade morph into a defined hue, still so subtle it can barely be captured by the eye? How untamable can a tone be when made to act as transitional, evolving depending on time, light, or context? In Everything that Holds, Smith’s paintings become contained but also open-ended portals into oneself. One will get lost in these almost-but-not-quite monochromatic protean landscapes where their mind may wander unencumbered.

Inspired by the archways she encountered in Italian courtyards and gardens, Smith’s pieces are access points into our own subconscious memories – these states of belonging we know so well and yet cannot quite name or fully understand. Each panel, set in a custom tonal frame – reminiscent of historical architectural structures – radiates a light-colored glow that defines its inner space, while further blurring the line between the painting, its edge, and the wall. The eye wanders, focusing in and out in an attempt to better ‘read’ both content and colorway. The journey becomes inherently part of the personal connection one builds with these works. This intimacy mirrors how much of herself the artist pours into her practice, to materialize a set of unique, specific sensations that may touch our universal human experience. With Petal (2023), one of five arched paintings, Smith leans into the tradition of the self-portrait, expressing the intense state of overwhelming fragility she at times finds herself grappling with. Titled after her partner’s nickname for her when facing such vulnerable states, this specificity does not encumber the viewer’s ability to find a piece of their own story in its halo of greens.