The talented Anj Smith has breathed new life into painting over the course of the last decade. Known for her way with colour and her deft hand at replicating even the most minute of details, the London-based artist opened her latest exhibition at Hauser & Wirth in New York with a flourish this week - the works had already sold out.
'The Flowering of Phantoms' pays tribute to themes that have long prevailed in her work, such as gender, identity, evolution and the representation of the psychological space, to name a few. Produced over 18 months, each of the 11 pieces is small in scale; most of them are only slightly larger than A4.
The works range from desolate landscapes to haunting portraits and ethereal still-lifes. When the viewer gets up close, and one has no choice but to, each piece brims with impressive, painterly detail that harks back to the Dutch Golden Age.
Building on her earlier work, these paintings throw a stronger focus on colour and painting language. From thread-thin veins riddling subjects' faces to sheer swathes of chiffon and densely worked impasto that forms a rocky ossuary, every painted element of Smith's work exudes an otherworldly quality in celebration of the medium. The backgrounds alone are luminous bodies of crimson and pewter. In the portraits, there are often as many layers of paint as there are layers of skin.
'One of the main concepts of this show is painting as there is a slight snobbery in the art world towards [it],' Smith mused. 'Some institutions prefer to promote other types of art because they are seen as more contemporary. But [painting] facilitates everything for me, it's so liberating. You can paint time, gravity and all those things. The reason that it's still around is that there's just something so seductive about it.'
Although executed with the refinement and intricacy of a Flemish master, Smith's paintings are undoubtedly rooted in the modern day. She has inserted plenty of contemporary motifs, such as Vogue menthol cigarette butts ('The most glamorous ones to smoke,' she said, with a laugh) checkered Prada blouses and David Bowie-esque glasses. Their inclusion is far from trivial though; an Alexander McQueen knuckleduster ring festooned with skulls displaces the traditional symbol for death and mortality with a modern icon of wealth and luxury.
The true beauty of Smith's work is that each insular painting is backed by multiple tiers of carefully conceived symbolism. Every piece is a self-contained commentary on the state of the times. It's this inherent, diverging tension - which consistently appears throughout her oeuvre - that makes her work so compelling.
'The Revision of Systema Naturae', 2012. © Anj Smith. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
'New Blooms At The Ossuary', 2012. © Anj Smith. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
'High Blue Country', 2012. © Anj Smith. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
'The Sentry', 2012. © Anj Smith. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
'Night Out', 2012. © Anj Smith. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
'Youth', 2012. © Anj Smith. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
'Portrait of a Girl in Glass', 2012. © Anj Smith. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
'Chorus', 2012. © Anj Smith. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
'Ziggy', 2012. © Anj Smith. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
'Fruits of the Forest, 2012. © Anj Smith. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
ADDRESS
Hauser & Wirth New York
32 East 69th Street
NY 10021
-
A compact Scottish home is a 'sunny place,' nestled into its thriving orchard settingGrianan (Gaelic for 'sunny place') is a single-storey Scottish home by Cameron Webster Architects set in rural Stirlingshire
-
7 colours that will define 2026, from rich gold to glacier blueThese moody hues, versatile neutrals and vivid shades will shape the new year, according to trend forecasters
-
In Norway, discover 1000 years of Queer expression in Islamic Art'Deviant Ornaments' at the National Museum of Norway examines the far-reaching history of Queer art
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week'Tis the season for eating and drinking, and the Wallpaper* team embraced it wholeheartedly this week. Elsewhere: the best spot in Milan for clothing repairs and outdoor swimming in December
-
Nadia Lee Cohen distils a distant American memory into an unflinching new photo book‘Holy Ohio’ documents the British photographer and filmmaker’s personal journey as she reconnects with distant family and her earliest American memories
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt’s been a week of escapism: daydreams of Ghana sparked by lively local projects, glimpses of Tokyo on nostalgic film rolls, and a charming foray into the heart of Christmas as the festive season kicks off in earnest
-
Ed Ruscha’s foray into chocolate is sweet, smart and very AmericanArt and chocolate combine deliciously in ‘Made in California’, a project from the artist with andSons Chocolatiers
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the capital this week
-
María Berrío creates fantastical worlds from Japanese-paper collages in New YorkNew York-based Colombian artist María Berrío explores a love of folklore and myth in delicate and colourful works on paper
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
