SALLY SMITH

SALLY SMITH No Boundaries 9 February - 6 March 2013

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

milford galleries queenstown

9A Earl Street (03) 442 6896 qtown@milfordgalleries.co.nz

1

On Dusk IX (2013), edition of 20 151 pieces; bronze, installation: 970 x 1400 mm overall

2

Uplift (2012), edition of 20 40 pieces; bronze, installation: 670 x 670 mm overall

3

On Dusk VI (2012), edition of 20 57 pieces; bronze, installation: 1775 x 495 mm overall

4

On Dusk X (2013), edition of 2 67 pieces; bronze, installation

20 n: 1915 x 600 mm overall

5

Kawau - Cormorant (2013), edition of 20 3 pieces; bronze, installation: 1145 x 362 mm overall

6

Time Immemorial (2013), edition of 20 5 pieces; bronze, installation: 950 x 780 mm overall

7

Only Here for Summer (2013), edition of 20 205 pieces; bronze, installation: 960 x 2750 mm overall

8

From Above (2012), edition of 10 40 pieces; bronze, installation: 920 x 920 mm overall

True to the title of the show, No Boundaries, Sally Smith’s delicate bronze sculptures float and swirl across walls, defying the traditional mass and solidity of their medium as well as the regular, defined wallspace.

Smith manipulates form, scale and surface to create space and movement in her flocks of birds and schools of fish, capturing them in the midst of their migrations. This manipulation extends outward from the works themselves as Smith incorporates the surrounding surfaces into each piece. Walls become sea or sky, and perspectives shift from near to far depending on the individual work. Smith’s illusions of space extend beyond the bronze figures she has formed - each work is more than the sum of its parts.

Environmental concerns are raised in works such as Only Here For Summer, which speaks to Smith’s experiences of viewing the annual return of kuaka (godwits): “Where I live on Waiheke we have a small group of kuaka who settle on the foreshore of Te Huruhi Bay over summer… Their arrival is always noted and my heart fills with admiration for these tiny birds and the massive journey they have taken to reach our shores.” (1) Smith’s working of these small birds in bronze emphasises the strength employed in their migration across the globe while at the same time providing a vivid contrast with the actual physical fragility of the godwits and their endangered environments.

Time Immemorial also addresses issues of the transitory nature of time. Smith uses the cross in two forms – the single upright shape reminiscent of funerary symbols, the row of slanted crosses hinting at things that have been negated - ‘crossed out’. The delicate tracework of the butterfly /moth reminds the viewer of its precarious natural existence even as it is preserved in weighty bronze.

The weathered patina Smith employs in her sculptures works on both conceptual and visual levels. Traditionally patina develops on bronze as it is exposed to the elements over time and although Smith’s works are not yet physically old, they carry with them suggestions of the past and the future. As an aesthetic device, the green of the oxidised metal gives the individual forms texture and depth and draws the elements of each work together in a cohesive whole.

No Boundaries reveals Sally Smith’s superb craftsmanship, attention to detail and her fresh and invigorating use of an ancient medium. Each work stands on its own and together they form a conversation about the natural world and our place in it.

1. Sally Smith, quoted in “A Herald of Summer: Sally Smith’s Kuaka Installation,” http://www.britomart.org/whats-on/herald-summer-sally-smith’s-kuaka-installation. Accessed 31/1/13

EXHIBITION PRICELIST 1

On Dusk IX (2013), edition of 20

9,500

2

Uplift (2012), edition of 20

4,600

3

On Dusk VI (2012), edition of 20

3,800

4

On Dusk X (2013), edition of 20

6,000

5

Kawau - Cormorant (2013), edition of 20

2,100

6

Time Immemorial (2013), edition of 20

4,600

7

Only Here for Summer (2013), edition of 20

8

From Above (2012), edition of 10

12,500 5,000

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

SALLY SMITH b. 1968, lives Waiheke Island

On Dusk III (2011)

"As a New Zealand artist I celebrate these islands that we live on and in particular, my home island, Waiheke. The layers of history that cover this land, that have come about through the interweaving of different peoples who have made these islands their home fascinate me and are often referred to in my work.” (1) The delicate bronze sculptures of Waiheke-based artist Sally Smith possess a sense of weightless movement, a characteristic not normally associated with the medium. Dozens of tiny bird-forms, each one slightly different from the other, swirl across the wall in a frozen instant. The changes in patina across the work create texture and depth in the work and the silhouettes reveal Smith’s careful observation of the natural behaviors of birds in flight.

Smith’s awareness of negative and positive space expands the scope of her works from the two dimensions of the flat wall. Shadows move with changing light and are thrown both to the side and underneath the forms, enhancing the volume and presence of the work.

Sally Smith was raised on Waiheke Island where she lives today with her partner sculptor Chris Bailey and her two sons. She graduated from Auckland University with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1993 and ran her own architectural practice for a number of years before deciding to concentrate solely on her art career in 2010.

Sally Smith 2013 CV P a g e |1

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

SALLY SMITH b. 1968, lives Waiheke Island

EDUCATION 1993

Bachelor of Architecture

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2013 2012

2011 2010

No Boundaries, milford galleries queenstown New Works, TOI Gallery, Waiheke Island Here Just For Summer, Invited Exhibiting Artist, Britomart Project Space, Britomart Precinct, Auckland Absolute, TOI Gallery, Waiheke Island New Works, TOI Gallery, Waiheke Island

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2012

2010 2009 2008 2007

Spring Catalogue, milford galleries queenstown Small Works, milford galleries queenstown Art Melbourne, Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne, Australia Local Knowledge, The Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt From A Distance, Academy Galleries, Wellington Living Halls, Govett Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth Living Halls, Two Rooms Gallery, Auckland Metal Matters, Uxbridge, Howick, Auckland Out From Down Under & Beyond, Agora Gallery, Chelsea, New York, USA Mana Whenua Chris Bailey/Sally Smith, The Lane Gallery, Auckland New Works, Waiheke Community Art Gallery, Waiheke Island Mantle of The Land, Waiheke Community Gallery, Waiheke Island Kings College Annual Fine Art Exhibition, Auckland

AWARDS 2012

Finalist National Small Sculpture Prize, WCAG, Waiheke Island

Godwits (2011)

Sally Smith 2013 CV P a g e |2

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz