Carl Smith's art beautifully bridges the realm between Pop Art and Surrealism. An American artist, he has called Berlin, Germany his home since 2001. Smith's artistic practice is a skillful blend of silkscreen printing, collage, and painting techniques. His artistic journey began in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and he further honed his skills at The Cooper Union in New York.
His creative process involves merging personal photographic materials with drawings and other narrative fragments. Prior to actualizing a finished image, he works through several layout combinations. Smith meticulously selects and transfers specific pieces onto canvas via screen-printing, and then, elevates these pieces with oil paint to complete his works. He masterfully employs found images to convey slightly absurd and humorous visual anecdotes. In Smith's own words, the process of creating these narrative works constitutes "drawing with pictures."
“In the present time period we are living in, books have reached a transitional point due to their digitization, whereby the content of the book and the physical book are becoming separate. In effect this means that their identity is now rapidly changing. I find it fascinating that historically certain books have formed civilizations, caused great upheavals, been the source of massive scandals, and started entire wars even though they are in themselves just completely inert objects.
“I am especially intrigued by the appearance of books when they are together in large, disorderly groups where all their different colors and styles somehow find a certain harmony. In many of my pieces I have sought to draw attention to this dynamic and experiment with the visual possibilities of stacking and leaning the books on each other like some kind of abstracted building block. In short, as a visual artist who works primarily with collage, I find books to be endlessly inspiring. They are so ordinary, yet they can be so sublime.”
EXHIBITIONS
2022 Slow Graphics, Museum Sremski, Srem Poland
2021 “Like a Song”, solo exhibition at Kunstraum B, Kiel Germany
2020 Miedzynrodowy Festiwal Grafiki, Muzeum Sremskie, Poland
“Urban Prelude”, Berlin, Germany
2019 “Slow Graphic Days”, Myszkowshi Galeria, Poznan, Poland
“Suspended Moments” Knack43, Berlin, Germany
Affordable Art Fair New York
“Berlin Express”, Galleri Schaeffers Gate 5, Oslo, Norway
2018 “It Runs In the Family”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles
2017 “Expectation of an Answer”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles
2016 “Fiesta at Caldera”, Santa Fe, New Mexico
“Composed”, Cabinet de Chiropratiuqe, Berlin, Germany
2015 “Bibliography: Volyme 3”, Galeri Zia Maria, Berlin, Germany
'Positions', dat Gallerie, Berlin, Germany
'Berliner Liste 2015', Berlin, Germany
'Back to the Present', Luna Space, Santa Fe, New Mexico
'About Books', Studio Ebba Kaynak, Schorndorf, Germany
New York Affordable Art Fair, New York
‘Pop Art Shakeup’, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles
2013 'People in Motion' Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles
2012 'Rare Birds', Lessing Halle, Kiel, Germany
2011 'Urban Discovery', Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles
2010 'White Gloves Evening', Kunst Kontor, Berlin.
“Urban Desire,” Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
2009 'Pocket Art', Kielkind Kunstraum, Kiel, Germany
‘Pop is Hot’, Kunstwarenhaus, Zurich, Switzerland
2008 ‘Mingle Configuration’, Turn Gallery, Berlin, Germany
‘Berliner Kunstsalon’. Umspanwerk, Berlin, Germany
2002 ‘T.A.B.I. Mini Salon’, private residence, Berlin, Germany
2000 ‘Pop am Ring’, Waschhaus, Potsdam, Germany
1997 ‘Scrambling Wall’, Site 21/21, Albuquerque, N.M.
‘Paper View’, Cooper Union, New York, N.Y.
1998 ‘Send in the Clones’, The Emerging Collector, New York, N.Y.
‘Truck’, The Lofts, Santa Fe, N.M.
‘Ship from the Desert’, Machinenehalle, Potsdam, Germany
1996 ‘Exotica’, Dodge Magazine offices, San Francisco, CA
‘Planet Iris’, The Lab, San Francisco, CA
1995 ‘From New York to Amsterdam’, Schuim, Amsterdam, Holland
‘Formentation’, Offsite, Santa Fe, N.M.
1992 ‘Hypnotic frenzy’, Railyard Performance Center, Santa Fe, N.M.
‘The Burning Boat’, The Bookroom, Santa Fe, N.M.
‘T.A.B. May Show’, Tesuque Art Barn, Tesuque, N.M.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018 ‘Pop-Up’, Galleri Schaeffers Gate 5 Oslo, Norway
2016 ‘Fiesta at Caldera’, Santa Fe New Mexico, USA
2015 'Bibliography: volume 3', Galleri Zia Maria, Berlin
2014 'Body Clock', Cabinet de Chiropratique, Berlin, Germany
2013 'The Living Lexicon', DAT Gallery Berlin, Germany
'Iiwii Gallery presents #3', Iiwii Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
2012 'Synchronicity', Cabinet de Chiropratique, Berlin, Germany
'The Imaginary Salon´, Moppete, Berlin
'Between the Lines', As-style, Berlin
'Sound of the City', Inkarma Gallery, Berlin
2011 'Northern Kites', Kielkind Kunstraum,Kiel.
2009 'Jumping Your Shadow', Kielkind Kunstraum, Kiel, Germany
2006 ‘Simultaneity’, Art & Industry, Santa Fe, N.M
2005 ‘Magazine, Magazine’ The Spitz, London, England
2003 ‘Metaphor’, Cafe Rosa, Berlin, Germany
1998 ‘Transience’, Ecole National des Beaux Artes, Paris, France
1997 ‘Correspondences’, Plan B, Santa Fe, N.M.
1993 ‘Contact’, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
‘Summer Times…’ The Velvet Cage, Santa Fe, N.M.
