This exhibition brings together seminal works by Terry Smith, a British artist working consistently under the radar of the mainstream. Smith has been creating substantial works on the margins for over two decades – most notably, a series of secret and unseen projects. These include wall drawings and ‘building cuts’ in derelict East London houses and building interventions during the reconstruction of Tate Modern and the refurbishment of the British Museum. Smith was a winner of the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Artists’ Award in 2008.
Parallax showcases Terry Smith’s eclectic approach through the presentation of over fifty works, including drawings, photographs, sculpture and film. The exhibition also features the premiere of Caracol (2011), a video sound installation with twenty five singers, made in Caracas, Venezuela.
In his own words, Terry Smith has “no medium, no style, no continuity and no intention to change.” There is something of the guerrilla action about his work – ephemeral, quietly subversive and totally committed. Smith’s work has its roots in European and American conceptualism, acknowledging artists such as John Cage, Joseph Beuys and Bruce Nauman, who established a basis from which art can extend into the realm of pure idea while, at the same time, remaining experiential. This approach is at the core of Smith’s ethos.
Terry Smith: Parallax is a John Hansard Gallery exhibition curated with David Thorp, supported by The Henry Moore Foundation.
