lionel smit strata exhibition catalogue

7/27/2019 Lionel Smit STRATA Exhibition Catalogue

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S T R A


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Lionel Smit was born in Pretoria, South Africa

in 1982. He now lives and works in Cape

Town, South Africa. Primarily a painter and

sculptor, his paintings are devoted to the

deconstruction of the portrait thus exposing

the construction of the portrayed persona

through his techniques.

For Smit, identity formation is similar to exposing

the anatomy of the canvas much like

tracing the genealogy of the subject over time

and space his focus most often being the

Cape Malay woman. Upon close inspection

of Smits canvas, the viewer loses oneself within

the abstracted surface the viewer only able

to decipher bold brush strokes and colours

as indicative of an individual artists identity.

The painting process, evident in Smits layering

technique, becomes just as important asthe subject being explored - the technique

itself challenging the way we create an

understanding of identity through art, rather

than simply describing the subjects aesthetics.

The canvas is thus converted into skin itself

the surface becoming the sight of social

ambiguity as the t ransparent layers signify

the various levels inherent in the identication

process. Smits use of bold colour, simplied

subject a

the Fauvi

expressive

and tech

predomin

intensity w

Smits STR

recurrent

is ground

uidity of

symboli

within a S

The Cape

hybrid ide

an indica

of identity

world. Sta

the canvbrushstro

conveyin

(de)class

loaded w

preceden

between

abstract.

analysis o

theorist St

S T R A T A


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AccumulATion #3 o cavas

165 165

2012


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conTAin #2 o cavas

165 230

2012


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ExTERnAl #2 o cavas

120 120

2012


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conTAin o cavas

120 120

2012


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9/15

FRAgmEnTEd o cavas

120 120

2012


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gRoundEd o cavas

120 120

2012


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inTERnAl o cavas

165 165

2012

Solid-STATE o cavas

165 165

2012

STRATA #1 o cavas

120 120

2012


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STRATA #2 o cavas

165 165

2012


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ungRoundEd o cavas

165 230

2012


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Lionel Smit was born in Pretoria in 1982.

He grew up in an environment of art. His fathers

studio created a platform to start his creative

development at a young age. After attending

Pro Arte school of arts (1996-2000) he decided to

become a full-time artist.

Exhibiting extensively in South Africa and abroad he

has already established a substantial international

following with collectors ranging from StandardChartered Bank, Rand Merchant Bank to Laurence

Graff from Delaire Wine Estate.

Smits popularity is indeed growing on a global

scale, with a highlight being the use of an image

of his painting for the cover of a Christies auction

catalogue in London. Smit currently lives and works

in Cape Town.

Selected Exhibitions

2012

- Compendium, solo exhibition, 34FineArt, Cape Town

- Accumulation of Di sorder, installation,

University of Stellenbosch Gallery, Stellenbosch

- Strata, solo exhibition, Rook and Raven, London

- Winter Exhibition, Everard Read, Johannesburg

- Robert Bowman Gallery, India Art Fair, India

- Jhb Art Fair, Everard Read

2011

- Surface, solo exhibition, Artspace, Johannesburg

- 34FineArt, Art Monaco 11, Monaco

2010

- Cynthia Reeves Projects, group exhibition,Art Miami, USA

- We are not Witches, group exhibition, Saatchi

Gallery, London

- Submerge, solo exhibition, 34FineArt, Cape Town

- Out of the Ofce, group exhibition, Kunstmuseum

Bochum, Germany

2009

- F.A.C.E.T., Charity Auction, Christies, London

- Group 09, group exhibition,

34Long Fine Art, Cape Town

- Gesprek, group exhibition, University of Stellenbosch

Gallery, Stellenbosch

- Relate, solo exhibition,

Grande Provence, Franschhoek

2008

- REFLECTIONS, group exhibition,

Rust-en-Vrede, Durbanville

- Day Dream, two man show with Jaco Benade,

Magpie Gallery, Centurion

- Rendezvous - focus wearable art,

Fada Art Gallery, Johannesburg

- Reect/refuel, group exhibition,

Association of Arts, Pretoria

- Twenty artists/twenty portraits,UCA Gallery, Cape Town

2007

- St. Sebastian, group exhibition,

Association of Arts, Pretoria

- Project, group exhibition,

Carol Lee Fine Art, Johannesburg

- Flesh/:scape, two man show with M.J. Lourens,

Magpie Gallery, Centurion

2006

- 40 x 40, group exhibition,

KKNK Arts Festival, Oudtshoorn

- Epidemic, Judge, Hope, solo exhibition,

Voir Gallery, Pretoria

- Physical self, group exhibition, Gallery 88, Sasolburg

- Turn the table, group exhibition,

Artspace, Johannesburg

2005

- Group therapy, group exhibition,

Civic Gallery, Sandton

- Oppitafel, group exhibition, Artspace, Johannesburg

2004

- Pretoria, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town- Solitude, two man exhibition with Rossouw van der

Walt, Gordart Gallery, Johannesburg

2002

- Three man show with Liam Lynch and Zander Blom,

Millennium Gallery, Pretoria

Selected Publications and Media

Catalogues

- Surface, Artspace, October 2011

- Out of the Ofce, Kunstmuseum Bochum,

Germany 2010

- WE ARE NOT WITCHES, Saatchi Gallery, October 2010

- Submerge, LIONEL SMIT, 34FineArt, October 2010

- Christies, F.A.C.E.T. (catalogue cover), October 2009

- Residue, Grande Provence Gallery, October 2009- Group therapy, Sandton Civic Gallery, 2005

- Pretoria, Everard Read Gallery, November 2004

Articles

- An Alchemy of Metal and Paint,

Opulant Living Magazine, Winter 2012

- ART OF AFRICA, Grafti, The Graff Magazine,

Summer 2010

- Grand Scale, Garden and Home Magazine,

April 2010

- AbouTime Magazine, 2007

- Ou idees met moderne aanslag, RAPPORT,

2 July 2006

- A l ook away, Art Magazine, 2006

- Individuality of faces, Pretoria News, 15 June 2006

- Soos in n tweepas, Beeld plus, 26 November 2004

- Radically different works from striking ensemble,

Interval, May 2002

Collections

- Johann Jacobs Museum

- Standard Chartered Bank

- El lerman Contemporary

- Laurence Graff Collection

- Rand Merchant Bank

- European Investment Bank- Johannesburg City Council

- Saronsberg Wine Estate

- Delaire Graff Wine Estate

- South African Embassy, Nigeria

- Parkdev

- Various private and corporate collections

A R T i S T B i o g R A P H Y

lionel smit strata exhibition catalogue

Documents