John Smith

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News

Atlas of Modernity. Exercises
Muzeum Sztuki, Łódź
1 October 2021 – Ongoing

Biography

Born 1952, Walthamstow, London. Lives and works in London.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2022

John Smith: Introspective (1972 – 2022), The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London
Waldeinsamkeit: Films from the 21st Century, Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen, Magdeburg, Germany

2020

S.O.S – Recent Films by John Smith, Kate MacGarry, London
John Smith Programme of Short Films, CAST, Cornwall

2019

John Smith: The Girl Chewing Gum, Fine Arts, Sydney

Selected Group Exhibitions

2023

Small World, 13th Taipei Biennial, Taipei City
Life is More Important than Art, Whitechapel Gallery, London

2022

Street Life: The Street in Art from Kirchner to Streuli, Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
Instantly! Street Photography in Vienna, Museen der Stadt Wien, Vienna

2021

Atlas of Modernity. Exercises, Muzeum Sztuki, Łódź
Language for Sale, Edith-Russ-Haus, Oldenburg, Germany
Biennale für Freiburg, Museum für Neue Kunst, Freiburg, Germany
Tourism, Stadtgalerie, Bern, Switzerland
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Go), Centre Photographique Marseille
Hearing Aids, McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, San Francisco
Hidden in Plain Sight, Steven Lawrence Gallery, London
Crocodile Cradle, curated by Simon Moretti, PEER, London
Peter Morrens: ‘Minstens 1½ Uur, En Terug, Cultuurhuis De Warande, Turnhout, Belgium

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Press

00:00

John Smith, Gargantuan, 1992

16 mm film, colour, sound, 1 minute 23 seconds, Edition of 5 + 2 AP

"London artist John Smith uses light-hearted humour to explore theoretical concerns - Gargantuan, for instance, is both pleasantly silly and acutely conscious of how imagery depends entirely on its framing. A voice-over intones the words ‘huge’ and ‘strapping’ as a lizard almost fills the screen, then ‘medium’ as the camera zooms out, then ‘tiny’, and finally ‘minute’, a pun on the film’s running time." Fred Camper, ‘Chicago Reader’ 2001"A wonderfully witty example of how to conduct pillow talk with a small amphibian." – Elaine Paterson, ‘Time Out’ 1992

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