Shinique Smith: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu
Explicit content warning
02/26/25 • 33 min
On this episode, I'm joined by Shinique Smith.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, and now Los Angeles based, Shinique Smith is best known for her visual poetry, monumental fabric sculptures, and paintings of calligraphy and collage that engage abstraction. Her work gained critical acclaim and widespread attention through her participation in important group exhibitions, including Frequency at the Studio Museum in Harlem, 30 Americans organized by the Rubell Family Collection and Unmonumental at the New Museum.
Last fall, Smith unveiled a new monumental aluminum sculpture for Miami Arts in Public Spaces at the Port of Miami. She currently has work on view in several shows across the US, including By Way Of: Material and Motion in the Guggenheim Collection, curated by Naomi Beckwith, Poetics of Dimensions at the ICASF, curated by guest curator Larry Ossei-Mensah, and earlier this month, Smith opened up a two person show celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Nigerian Rele Gallery, Social Fabrics, Magic and Memory, features Smith's work in conversation with Lagos-based artist, Marcelina Acpojotor.
Over the last twenty years, Smith has gleaned visual poetry from clothing and explored concepts of ritual using breath, bunding and calligraphy as tools toward abstraction. Her layered works range from palm-sized bundled microcosms to monolithic bales to massive chaotic paintings that contain vibrant and carefully collected mementos from her life. Smith’s practice operates at the convergence of consumption and spiritual sanctuary, balancing forces and revealing connections across space and time, race, gender and place to suggest the possibility of new worlds.
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On this episode, I'm joined by Shinique Smith.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, and now Los Angeles based, Shinique Smith is best known for her visual poetry, monumental fabric sculptures, and paintings of calligraphy and collage that engage abstraction. Her work gained critical acclaim and widespread attention through her participation in important group exhibitions, including Frequency at the Studio Museum in Harlem, 30 Americans organized by the Rubell Family Collection and Unmonumental at the New Museum.
Last fall, Smith unveiled a new monumental aluminum sculpture for Miami Arts in Public Spaces at the Port of Miami. She currently has work on view in several shows across the US, including By Way Of: Material and Motion in the Guggenheim Collection, curated by Naomi Beckwith, Poetics of Dimensions at the ICASF, curated by guest curator Larry Ossei-Mensah, and earlier this month, Smith opened up a two person show celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Nigerian Rele Gallery, Social Fabrics, Magic and Memory, features Smith's work in conversation with Lagos-based artist, Marcelina Acpojotor.
Over the last twenty years, Smith has gleaned visual poetry from clothing and explored concepts of ritual using breath, bunding and calligraphy as tools toward abstraction. Her layered works range from palm-sized bundled microcosms to monolithic bales to massive chaotic paintings that contain vibrant and carefully collected mementos from her life. Smith’s practice operates at the convergence of consumption and spiritual sanctuary, balancing forces and revealing connections across space and time, race, gender and place to suggest the possibility of new worlds.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE
Website - Sign up for my newsletter
https://lightworkco.com/
Instagram - Follow me on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/
https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/
YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
www.youtube.com/@lightworkco
Previous Episode
Taylor Renee Aldridge: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu
On this episode I’m joined by Taylor Renee Aldridge.
Taylor Renee Aldridge is a writer and curator based in Detroit, Michigan. In 2014, with writer Jessica Lynne, she co-founded ARTS.BLACK, an online journal of art criticism from Black perspectives. In Fall 2024, she assumed the role of Executive Director at the Modern Ancient Brown Foundation.
In the episode we discuss her return to her native Detroit, the importance of ancestral practice, why there’s a lack of art criticism today, and what she’s excited about for the future.
Taylor has edited and contributed to numerous exhibition catalogs, including Enunciated Life (CAAM, 2021) and Mario Moore | Enshrined: Presence + Preservation (Charles H. Wright Museum, 2021). Her writing has appeared in Artforum, The Art Newspaper, Art21, ARTNews, CanadianArt, Contemporary&, Detroit Metro Times and SFMOMA’s Open Space. She has organized exhibitions with the California African American Museum (CAAM), Detroit Institute of Arts, and Cranbrook Art Museum, including the critically acclaimed Simone Leigh (2024, CAAM & LACMA). Taylor is the recipient of the 2016 Creative Capital | Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant for Short Form Writing and the 2019 Rabkin Foundation Award for Art Journalism. She holds an MLA from Harvard University with a concentration in Museum Studies and a BA from Howard University with a concentration in Art History.
Image Credit: Bella Lopez
Contributing Audio Credit: Alan Mckinney
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WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE
Website - Sign up for my newsletter
https://lightworkco.com/
Instagram - Follow me on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/
https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/
YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
www.youtube.com/@lightworkco
Next Episode
Joy Simmons: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu
On this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Joy Simmons.
Dr. Joy Simmons is a radiologist, art collector, and philanthropist. In this episode, she discusses her multifaceted engagement with the arts. Beyond simply acquiring works, Dr. Simmons supports an entire arts ecosystem from artists to small non profits to galleries and museums through her work, her stewardship, and her commitment.
She emphasizes the importance of visibility and community support for Black artists, writers, and curators. Dr. Simmons shares how her collection has grown over the years, and the unique installations in her home, highlighting the personal and cultural significance behind each piece. In the episode, she also reflects on the evolving art scene, the importance of preserving Black culture through art, and the impact of the recent wildfires in L.A. and the sociopolitical changes on the art community.
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WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE
Website - Sign up for my newsletter
https://lightworkco.com/
Instagram - Follow me on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/
https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/
YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
www.youtube.com/@lightworkco
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