We've been continuously following the development and the trajectory of Brooklyn-based artist Emily Mae Smith, so were thrilled to get the chance to see her Brussels comeback with rodolphe janssen gallery this past weekend. Over the years of featuring Smith's works, it's become very clear that she is developing her own language built from symbols and objects that earn or suggest certain qualities to the images within which they're placed in. From now unmistakeable broom character developed from The Sorcerer's Apprentice featured in Disney's Fantasia, over the simplified face of a woman with glasses, to a whole range of fruits, animals, celestial bodies, and objects, the artist we've featured in Spring 2019 issue is capable of telling compelling stories using such innocent-looking, often animated imagery. And with this in mind, the title of the show, Speculative Objects, is fitting perfectly for the presentation which is dominated by a series of over 20 small works on paper.
Depicting different concepts, studies for past or potentially future works, these works are both precious looks at Smith's creative process, as well as a peek inside her raw, unpolished stream of thoughts. Cause while the meticulously rendered oils such as Sentient Sea, 2021, or Biloba, 2021, and their flawless gradients or razor-sharp graphic edges might suggest the use of computers as a significant part of her practice, these works on paper show the more old-fashioned, direct approach to building her visuals. Revealing the process that leads to the construction of her rich scenes, this part of the install feels like an alphabet of sorts, from which her large works are then spelled out. And once elaborated, the figures or the objects are regularly modified or arranged so they reference works from art history or literature, such as the Brush with Flame, 2021, which is borrowing the composition from Jules-Joseph Lefevre's Graziella,1878, or The Studio (Speculative Object), 2021, which is referencing Joos van Cleve's Saint Jerome in His Study, 1521.
This centerpiece of the presentation, displayed in a separate section of the gallery, feels like a culmination of the show, and arguably Smith's work to date. Featuring a whole assortment of images, symbols, objects, concepts, and characters used in her previous works, from the prominently placed The Studio banner, over the apple with a mouth, a basket with eggs, serpent-like candles, all the way to non-orientable Klein bottle, the work is showing the complexity of subjects Smith is interested in and the subtle and uninhibited manner in which she is tackling them. And by placing the animated broom as a lead role instead of Saint Jerome, a person who formed the basis for the Bible as the world knows it today, Smith is using the significance of such a moment to talk about other, often brushed off topics. "In my iteration, I have transformed the space of St Jerome's study into a conceptual journey through my own studio in terms of my history of imagery and iconic objects - objects of speculation meant to be tools for carrying meaning. Of course, my "inquires" as an artist in my time might be different from van Cleve and his St. Jerome—yet there are also connections - painters and their objects are great time travelers. My objects are concerned with feminism, representation, power dynamics, vacant subjectivities in art history, and so on," the artist stated about this monumental piece that will surely mark a special moment in her career. —Sasha Bogojev
All images Courtesy of the artist and rodolphe janssen, Brussels / Photo credit works: Charles Benton / Photo credit installation views: HV photography
