De Appel Arts Centre, Amsterdam is hosting until August 30 a solo show of American artist Michael E. Smith. Making objects and videos that seem to be reconstructions of distorted emotions, the shapes inside the Dutch art space evoke dark and morbid associations, as well as remnants of human presence. Smith creates sculptures from everyday objects and industrial materials, like plastic shapes, cables, toilets, bathtubs and clothing – debris from the world of urban consumer culture – to model new constructions. Sculptures are often filled with PVC foam, hardened with resin, or covered with canvas. A remarkable tension arises between the object and its surroundings, through which the artist gives new life to dead materials. With his precisely constructed artworks, Smith creates a menacing and mournful atmosphere, constantly forcing viewers to ask themselves what precisely they are looking at.
Michael E. Smith
De Appel Arts Centre, Amsterdam
Through August 30
TAG