This solo exhibition of new work by American artist Michael E. Smith (born 1977, Detroit) has been made for the Institute’s main galleries.
Using found objects, Michael E. Smith’s materials are drawn from the global workflow of production-consumption-depletion. Before Smith arrived at the Institute the materials reached only an intermediary stage, or what he calls ‘sketches’. Once on site, he brought these together to make complete sculptures.
Critical juxtapositions are made between different materials and another essential element — the gallery’s own environment. The fabric of the building is integral; its own traces of use, flaws, light, histories and systems become part of the sculpture. Removing signage and functional clutter (including exhibition labels, wall texts and even work titles) he has heightened the atmospheric register of the Institute and the experience of an exhibition.
