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Dan Smith's new body of work includes mixed media photo-based portraits of individuals he selected for historical considerations and manipulated to emphasize his own aesthetic and perspectives. Each of these 32 artworks has been created in a square 8 ½" x 8 ½" format, and each is framed in sections of rulers. These units of measurement serve both as metaphor, and as a design element repeated throughout this idiosyncratic exhibition.
Smith's investigation focuses on individual and group power, as well as dominance gained and lost. The artist's satirical approach blends his personal expression of feelings and opinions representing a broad spectrum from ironic comedy to heartbreaking tragedy.
Some of the individuals featured in this exhibit were researched by the artist while working on two projects partially funded by grants from the United Arts Council of Catawba County through the North Carolina Art Council with funding from the State of North Carolina. His mixed media "Philip Sheridan Burn", depicting the Union General known for his 1864 destruction of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley Bread Basket, is based on the American Civil War research for Smith's 2014-15 exhibition project entitled "US: A Civil War". Smith's "Chief Joseph" is based on research for his current project "GeNomecide" that involved conflicts between Native Americans and the US government before and after the Civil War. Examples of more contemporary "Heads" included are "Benazir Bhutto", the first woman to lead a Muslim Nation, and "Edward Snowden", of WikiLeaks fame.
About his current Arts Council exhibition, Smith explained: "I want people to come away thinking and questioning. I want them to look, think, question and research more on their own.My art is about life and death packed in with stories. It's about me and my associations including art and nature. It's also about moving outside my perspectives and then moving back in, constantly collecting".
A Hickory resident for the past 13 years, Dan Smith earned a BFA from East Carolina University and MFA from the University of South Carolina. He has taught higher education art studio and humanities in Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina, including Hampton University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Caldwell Community College and Appalachian State University, and is currently teaching Art Appreciation at Catawba Valley Community College. His art has been featured in exhibitions around the country including New York City's National Academy of Art and Design, Seattle's Center on Contemporary Art, San Francisco's Academy of Art, Taos Art Museum, Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina State Museum, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, and the Hickory Museum of Art. His artwork is also included in collections throughout the Southeast.
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