Aaron Smith "Mandrakes, Martyrs & Muck Snipes"
Sloan Fine Art
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Aaron Smith has always been a contradiction. Early in his career, he spent his days feeding a studious obsession for Art History and his nights manning the doors of underground nightclubs in Los Angeles. Similar to many of the artists of his generation, Smith’s work explores issues of identity, particularly the concept of the “other.” But rather than depicting those around him, he repurposes images derived from art’s past.
For “Mandrakes, Martyrs & Muck Snipes,” Smith paints baroque and gothic sculptures as well as decorative objects preserved in museums around the world; focusing on the sensuality and gender ambiguity he finds in these images. Having been stripped of context and painted with turbulent brushwork and vibrant colors (often at an absurd scale) these figures become exposed, fragile and at times give off a sexual heat that belies their origins. They are no longer sacred or opulent objects; no longer simply flowers, beasts, beggars or saints. Each oil-on-panel work vibrates with energy that overwhelms the object’s structure and original purpose and imbues it with personal meaning.
[Image: Aaron Smith "Muck Snipe" (2009) Oil on panel 36 x 27.5 in.]
Media
Schedule
from February 11, 2009 to March 14, 2009
Opening Reception on 2009-02-11 from 19:00 to 21:00