AKArt to Display Selection of Philip Smith Prints at NADA Miami Beach, 12/3

Available for purchase December 3 through 5 at NADA Miami Beach, Locust Projects will feature a selection of limited edition prints by artist Philip Smith. All proceeds will go to benefit Locust Projects and their mission to provide contemporary visual artists the freedom to experiment with new ideas without the pressures of gallery sales or limitations of conventional exhibition spaces.

Since Smith began creating art, he has taken thousands of photographs of images ranging from old magic manuals and physics books, to medical literature, menus, and advertisements. More often than not, these photographic negatives served as image sources for his paintings-over the years, acquiring thick patinas of paint just by being in the studio. Recognizing that these were photographic works in themselves, Smith printed them as such, after having the original 35mm negatives scanned. As a result of the paint, scratches, and cracks that have accumulated on the negatives, the computer assigned random, vibrant, psychedelic colors at the screen-misreading the surface depth of the negatives. The accidental results are printed as is.

As a non-profit exhibition space, Locust Projects encourages local, national, and international artists to create site-specific installations as an extension of their representative work. Locust Projects supports the local community through educational initiatives and programming that are free to the public.

ABOUT PHILIP SMITH
Philip Smith's pictographic work was first seen in the seminal Pictures exhibition, curated by Douglas Crimp at Artists Space-which also included Robert Longo, Sherrie Levine, Troy Brauntuch, and Jack Goldstein. These five artists established the movement that has become known as The Pictures Generation, that now includes Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Laurie Simmons, and many others. Smith's work has been included in both the Whitney and Beijing Biennial and is in the permanent collection of the Whitney, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas Museum of Art, Miami Art Museum, Detroit Institute of Art, among others. Smith first moved to NYC from Florida as a young artist, working as a writer for Andy Warhol's Interview magazine, and going on to become managing editor of GQ. His unusual life story has been captured in his memoir, Walking Through Walls, published by Simon and Schuster-the true story of growing up with a father who discovers that he has supernatural powers.