Download - Lionel Smit STRATA Exhibition Catalogue
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S T R A
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Lionel Smit was born in Pretoria, South Africa
in 1982. He now lives and works in Cape
Town, South Africa. Primarily a painter and
sculptor, his paintings are devoted to the
deconstruction of the portrait thus exposing
the construction of the portrayed persona
through his techniques.
For Smit, identity formation is similar to exposing
the anatomy of the canvas much like
tracing the genealogy of the subject over time
and space his focus most often being the
Cape Malay woman. Upon close inspection
of Smits canvas, the viewer loses oneself within
the abstracted surface the viewer only able
to decipher bold brush strokes and colours
as indicative of an individual artists identity.
The painting process, evident in Smits layering
technique, becomes just as important asthe subject being explored - the technique
itself challenging the way we create an
understanding of identity through art, rather
than simply describing the subjects aesthetics.
The canvas is thus converted into skin itself
the surface becoming the sight of social
ambiguity as the t ransparent layers signify
the various levels inherent in the identication
process. Smits use of bold colour, simplied
subject a
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S T R A T A
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AccumulATion #3 o cavas
165 165
2012
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conTAin #2 o cavas
165 230
2012
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ExTERnAl #2 o cavas
120 120
2012
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conTAin o cavas
120 120
2012
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FRAgmEnTEd o cavas
120 120
2012
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gRoundEd o cavas
120 120
2012
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inTERnAl o cavas
165 165
2012
Solid-STATE o cavas
165 165
2012
STRATA #1 o cavas
120 120
2012
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STRATA #2 o cavas
165 165
2012
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ungRoundEd o cavas
165 230
2012
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Lionel Smit was born in Pretoria in 1982.
He grew up in an environment of art. His fathers
studio created a platform to start his creative
development at a young age. After attending
Pro Arte school of arts (1996-2000) he decided to
become a full-time artist.
Exhibiting extensively in South Africa and abroad he
has already established a substantial international
following with collectors ranging from StandardChartered Bank, Rand Merchant Bank to Laurence
Graff from Delaire Wine Estate.
Smits popularity is indeed growing on a global
scale, with a highlight being the use of an image
of his painting for the cover of a Christies auction
catalogue in London. Smit currently lives and works
in Cape Town.
Selected Exhibitions
2012
- Compendium, solo exhibition, 34FineArt, Cape Town
- Accumulation of Di sorder, installation,
University of Stellenbosch Gallery, Stellenbosch
- Strata, solo exhibition, Rook and Raven, London
- Winter Exhibition, Everard Read, Johannesburg
- Robert Bowman Gallery, India Art Fair, India
- Jhb Art Fair, Everard Read
2011
- Surface, solo exhibition, Artspace, Johannesburg
- 34FineArt, Art Monaco 11, Monaco
2010
- Cynthia Reeves Projects, group exhibition,Art Miami, USA
- We are not Witches, group exhibition, Saatchi
Gallery, London
- Submerge, solo exhibition, 34FineArt, Cape Town
- Out of the Ofce, group exhibition, Kunstmuseum
Bochum, Germany
2009
- F.A.C.E.T., Charity Auction, Christies, London
- Group 09, group exhibition,
34Long Fine Art, Cape Town
- Gesprek, group exhibition, University of Stellenbosch
Gallery, Stellenbosch
- Relate, solo exhibition,
Grande Provence, Franschhoek
2008
- REFLECTIONS, group exhibition,
Rust-en-Vrede, Durbanville
- Day Dream, two man show with Jaco Benade,
Magpie Gallery, Centurion
- Rendezvous - focus wearable art,
Fada Art Gallery, Johannesburg
- Reect/refuel, group exhibition,
Association of Arts, Pretoria
- Twenty artists/twenty portraits,UCA Gallery, Cape Town
2007
- St. Sebastian, group exhibition,
Association of Arts, Pretoria
- Project, group exhibition,
Carol Lee Fine Art, Johannesburg
- Flesh/:scape, two man show with M.J. Lourens,
Magpie Gallery, Centurion
2006
- 40 x 40, group exhibition,
KKNK Arts Festival, Oudtshoorn
- Epidemic, Judge, Hope, solo exhibition,
Voir Gallery, Pretoria
- Physical self, group exhibition, Gallery 88, Sasolburg
- Turn the table, group exhibition,
Artspace, Johannesburg
2005
- Group therapy, group exhibition,
Civic Gallery, Sandton
- Oppitafel, group exhibition, Artspace, Johannesburg
2004
- Pretoria, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town- Solitude, two man exhibition with Rossouw van der
Walt, Gordart Gallery, Johannesburg
2002
- Three man show with Liam Lynch and Zander Blom,
Millennium Gallery, Pretoria
Selected Publications and Media
Catalogues
- Surface, Artspace, October 2011
- Out of the Ofce, Kunstmuseum Bochum,
Germany 2010
- WE ARE NOT WITCHES, Saatchi Gallery, October 2010
- Submerge, LIONEL SMIT, 34FineArt, October 2010
- Christies, F.A.C.E.T. (catalogue cover), October 2009
- Residue, Grande Provence Gallery, October 2009- Group therapy, Sandton Civic Gallery, 2005
- Pretoria, Everard Read Gallery, November 2004
Articles
- An Alchemy of Metal and Paint,
Opulant Living Magazine, Winter 2012
- ART OF AFRICA, Grafti, The Graff Magazine,
Summer 2010
- Grand Scale, Garden and Home Magazine,
April 2010
- AbouTime Magazine, 2007
- Ou idees met moderne aanslag, RAPPORT,
2 July 2006
- A l ook away, Art Magazine, 2006
- Individuality of faces, Pretoria News, 15 June 2006
- Soos in n tweepas, Beeld plus, 26 November 2004
- Radically different works from striking ensemble,
Interval, May 2002
Collections
- Johann Jacobs Museum
- Standard Chartered Bank
- El lerman Contemporary
- Laurence Graff Collection
- Rand Merchant Bank
- European Investment Bank- Johannesburg City Council
- Saronsberg Wine Estate
- Delaire Graff Wine Estate
- South African Embassy, Nigeria
- Parkdev
- Various private and corporate collections
A R T i S T B i o g R A P H Y