Whitney Lewis-Smith “Entwined”
Photo based printed works
June 10th - July 3rd 2021
Open To The Public Fridays and Saturdays 12-4pm at our NEW LOCATION 2806 E Madison Seattle WA 98112
Whitney Lewis-Smith “Jacarandas At Night In Parque, Mexico” dry plate photo, pigmented ink on paper
We are thrilled to show works by Canadian photo based artist Whitney Lewis-Smith. Her work features opulent botanicals, cornucopias redolent with the heavy, drowsy lushness of late summers on the verge of falling to autumn’s decay. Lewis-Smith constructs elaborate “sets” and dioramas that she then photographs (using dry plate photography) to evoke the work of Dutch golden era floral tableaus. The black and white imagery mixed with the fact the plants are fading and the fauna is deceased but arranged in a facsimile of buzzing life adds a strangely fantastical Victorian memento mori sensibility.
To See The Show: Click on a thumbnail to expand the image, mouse over to pull up info on each piece including title, size, media, and price. Smart Phone: click on the text at the bottom of the image to pull up information.
Artist bio:
Whitney Lewis-Smith is a Canadian photo-based artist. Her work uses a combination of historic and modern photographic processes as a means to speak on contemporary topics, most recently discussing consumerism, commodity accessibility, and globalization’s impact on the environment. By referencing dutch golden era floral tableaus, Whitney highlights the evolution of humanity’s relationship with the planet. A painting from the 17th century displaying various flora and fauna that could never have existed together has now become a reality to almost anyone at the tap of a button. Her seemingly living moving scenes are made predominantly using insects, animals, and plants that have died, but this only becomes apparent upon close inspection. The result is a subtle tension, engaging the viewer’s fascinations and fears. Lewis-Smith challenges viewers’ distance from the ecological; her pieces evoke childlike curiosity while simultaneously directing us to consider the profound environmental changes we are giving rise to.
Lewis-Smith works predominantly in Canada. She attended the Studio Arts program at Concordia University where her focus was in painting, drawing, and sculpture. She completed her photographic education at the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa where she is currently a full time college instructor in Studio and darkroom techniques. In 2014, Lewis-Smith was awarded a one-month production residency at the Arquetopia Foundation for the Arts in Mexico in tandem with the museum of natural history there. Her work sits in prominent private collections in Canada, the United States, England, Spain, Mexico, and Chile, as well as in the private collection of Sophie and Justin Trudeau, The Beaverbrook Art Gallery of New Brunswick, Maison Simons collection, SUMMA Contemporary Art Fair's permanent acquisitions, and in the Ottawa City’s Public Art collections of 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015.