Mike Peter Smith
dal 8/9/2005 al 22/10/2005
Segnalato da
8/9/2005
Mike Peter Smith
Bodybuilder & Sportsman Gallery, Chicago
Sand other stories. The artist presents a grouping of sculptures that investigate the age-old problem of identity albeit in an existentialist vein. Much like a contemporary scientist whose inspection of rock remnants illustrate a story of the Earth, he utilizes the form of the miniature to examine modern artifacts.
Sand other stories. New sculpture
BODYBUILDER & SPORTSMAN GALLERY is pleased to present a solo exhibition of
new sculptural work by New York based artist Mike Peter Smith, his second
with the gallery. Smith's scale models read as modern narratives that
explore irresolvable situations, unexplained occurrences, and the
dramatization of vulnerability.
Mike Peter Smith's new work, 'Å and other stories,' presents a grouping of
sculptures that investigate the age-old problem of identity albeit in an
existentialist vein. Much like a contemporary scientist whose inspection of
rock remnants illustrate a story of the Earth, Smith utilizes the form of
the miniature to examine modern artifacts. His humorous fictions that depict
an impending future place these artifacts as forgotten debris that can be
used as clues to our histories. Furthermore, in this new body of work Smith
leaves gaps so as to reveal the materials thereby exposing the object as
'prop' or 'prototype' to remind the viewer of the art-making process, that
is, art as storytelling.
To reflect on our anxieties for the future, Smith proposes ordinary
spectators who happen across dramatic and curious circumstances. In one
group of work Smith places John, a failed geologist lost in the desert with
a wrecked truck, to confront his own limitations and the forces of nature.
In another revelation, Lawn Boy, a fossilized young man has absurdly expired
while filling his lawnmower with gas. His remains lie alongside an
abandoned hot dog cart that has mysteriously collided with a tree.
In Untitled (Chimney), Smith fashions an industrial smoke stack equipped
with cable wires and cable satellite dishes. Once an icon of the American
industrial economy, Smith's chimney has given way to the new mission of
extraterrestrial prospects. Appearing above the smoke stack are clusters of
³artificial asteroids,' carved out interiors with hermits who live, work,
and sleep alone. Here Smith describes feelings of isolation often associated
with modern technologies and resultant societal changes that further our
advancements while limiting our ability to work together.
Born in California, Mike Peter Smith currently lives in New York. In 1997
Smith received his B.F.A. in sculpture from the University of Utah and in
2000 his M.F.A. in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago. Recent exhibitions include: 'Plane and Elevation,' Art In
General, New York, NY; Jeff Bailey Gallery (solo show), New York, NY; ³AIM
24,' The Bronx Museum of the Arts, NY; 'Cakewalk,' Curated by Jen DeNike,
Ambrosino Gallery, Miami, FL; 'Bad Star' (solo show), Bodybuilder &
Sportsman, Chicago, IL; and 'Art Work,' Chela Gallery, Baltimore, MD.
Opening reception: Friday, September 9, 2005, 6-9 p.m.
Bodybuilder & Sportsman Gallery
119 N. Peoria St. - Chicago
Gallery hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11a.m  6 p.m.