Published by Hauser & Wirth Publishers. Text by Claire-Louise Bennett. Interview by Orna Guralnik.
Coinciding with the eponymous exhibition at Hauser & Wirth, this catalog presents the latest body of work by the British painter Anj Smith (born 1978). Negotiating the space between the genres of portraiture, landscape and still life, Smith produces intricately rendered paintings that explore issues of gender, ecology, anxiety and eroticism. To that end, her latest series populates ecologically devastated landscapes with liminal beings and creatures. The luscious paintings invite viewers to consider the fluidity of their perceptions of the world. Anj Smith: Drifting Habitations features a conversation between psychologist Orna Guralnik—of Showtime’s Couples Therapy—and the artist, in which themes such as plurality, rewilding and repurposing are discussed, as well as a poetic intervention by author Claire-Louise Bennett, who conjures up a roiling world of her own and plays with readers’ understanding of reality, nature and self.
Published by nyehaus/foundation 20 21. Edited by Tim Nye. Text by Barry Schwabsky. Interview by Nicolaus Schafhausen.
The obsessively detailed paintings of the young London artist Anj Smith (born in 1978) were shown solo for the first time this Spring at Nyehaus Gallery in New York. This limited edition companion catalogue, designed by the award-winning New York firm, Helicopter, is the first publication of Smith's career. In it, portions of the paintings are enlarged so that the reader can truly conceive of the depth and intensity of Smith's labor. The work is loaded with references to the history of Western painting, and captures all sorts of pathological aspects to the contemporary human psyche, including our obsessions with newness and the unobtainable perfection promised by haute couture. Here, the artist's fetish for detail is incorporated into the design of the book itself. From the custom-printed ribbon which wraps around the cover to the flood of color on the inside of the French-folded sheets, this volume is an equally peculiar and imaginative context for the display of Smith's work. Roberta Smith reviewed the work featured in Smith's Nyehaus show in The New York Times: "Decadence, decay and the dark side have become the province of horror films and death-metal bands, but artists like Albrecht Dürer and Hieronymus Bosch laid the foundation for this centuries before record bins overflowed with kitsch versions of "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Now Anj Smith, a young British painter, is trying to reclaim part of that legacy."
PUBLISHER nyehaus/foundation 20 21
BOOK FORMAT Clothbound, 11.75 x 9.75 in. / 26 color.
PUBLISHING STATUS Pub Date 6/1/2007 Out of print
DISTRIBUTION D.A.P. Exclusive Catalog: FALL 2007 p. 143
PRODUCT DETAILS ISBN 9781934171011SDNR30 List Price: $45.00 CAD $55.00
Anj Smith: Paintings