KEREM SMITHSTONE- RECENT WORKS
June 24- August 1, 2021
Opening Reception Thursday, June 24, 2021 6pm-8pm
The Soul bird is known in mythology as a powerful creature that was believed to bring his soul to a child when he was born and taking it to a safe place when a person died.
Many African tribes believed that the bird was the highest state of perfection and form of life. In other words, when a human soul reaches the highest state it becomes a bird. After having been reincarnated seven times on Earth, either as a human or animal, you are raised by the Gods to the state of a bird.
“When I paint and sculpt, my birth country reveals itself to me in colors and geometric patterns. Ethiopia’s rich culture, natural beauty and proud history speak to me as I work. I try not to question, or think about it, but just let it go and see what happens.” -K. SmithStone
Artist statement:
At 25 years old Kerem SmithStone stumbled upon his creative process not by intention but entirely by accident. A product of serendipity. Having always been fond of drawing, especially animals and cartoons growing up, he always saw himself as a casual artist. It wasn’t until he began assimilating the technology around him and the ample time given over the pandemic that he pieced together the ingredients for producing his oil paintings. Using photography, stock imagery, photoshop, and elaborate grids, allowed him to have a serious formula for his artistic outpour. He sees his paintings as a sort of theater-like production. His process, entirely unique to him, serves him in his ability to conjure up completely novel works of art. In conversations with the artist, SmithStone found himself not really knowing what sort of ideas he was trying to relay, and over-explanation always felt off to him as he enjoyed not knowing the full translation of the mostly unconscious material.
In the depths of the unconscious, treasure lies buried, treasure unlike any. This battle against the earth shattering and monumental grip of the unconscious psyche requires humanity’s creative powers. It seeks for those heroic enough, courageous enough to do battle with these forces and return to the world with a bounty in hand, this is true success. This is the desired aim for SmithStone. To always strive to bring back treasure from the realm of the personal and the collective unconscious to all of humanity. He calls this realm of unconscious treasures the Upper Yaard, a fellow Upperyaardian himself, committed to the pains of mind and heart needed to unravel the meanings behind all that emerges. Two very important findings from the Upper Yaard for SmithStone have been the use of the bird image atop the head, and the various sprinklings of polka dots. These are the most powerful symbols and feelings behind his work, and on a personal level, these kinds of imagery are immensely meaningful to him. He hopes one day the world can get a feeling for such imagery and feel the immensity behind their simplicity. When reflecting on his latest show, he contemplated the possible meanings behind the birds on the head. A striking imagery that echoes messages from a distant past. When looking over some writings on African folklore and other native stories worldwide. He began seeing the bird’s association with the human soul. How a bird brings a child his soul, and takes it back when the person passes. Seeing how there are so many unique and diverse array of birds also signified to the people that the bird soul is a human soul perfected over lifetimes. These interpretations are hard to dismiss for they speak to us in ways we don’t always understand. Smithstone first encountered this idea in a dream. A dream about a society of birdhead folk. Who all appeared to him with a stoic elegance and a certain symbiosis with the feathered friend on their heads. This would later be categorized by SmithStone as an Upperyaardian dream. After waking up, he noticed the empty space atop his biggest portrait to date, Jessica. He placed the yellow billed hornbill atop her head, and the rest was history.