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"Bond James Bond v2.1" is a painting of Hollywood icon Sean Connery as James Bond on recycled computer floppy disks by pop artist Taylor Smith. COURTESY THE WHITE ROOM GALLERY
Taylor Smith "Bowie v2.0," left, and "Float Like a Butterfly." Both paintings are oil and enamel painted silkscreen on recycled floppy discs. COURTESY THE WHITE ROOM GALLERY
Taylor Smith, contemporary pop artist, works in her studio on screenprint pieces of abstract pop art works incorporating consumer goods and luxury fashion items. COURTESY THE WHITE ROOM GALLERY
Artist Taylor Smith’s ongoing series and process of using computer floppy diskettes in paintings is on full display at The White Room Gallery in East Hampton in “Poetry In Motion,” a show featuring work by Smith and artist Stuart Yankell. The show opened with a reception on September 14 and remains on view through October 13.
“Poetry In Motion” is proof that two very different artists can achieve the same effect. Smith, whose paintings are on view in The Black Room at the gallery, achieves poetry in motion through paintings made entirely from salvaged floppy diskettes, which cannot be traditionally recycled, combined with several different analog processes from screen printing to painting. Using this obsolete technology with its anonymous information still intact, these paintings use the visual language of popular culture to ask larger questions about how we use (and discard) our technology, information, and digital identities in an age of rapid advancements.
The perfect placement of the disks creates famed figures like James Bond, John Wayne, David Bowie and Mohammed Ali in larger-than-life pieces. Champagne, skulls and a boombox round out the collection. Smith is a multimedia artist whose work examines discarded technology, popular culture and consumerism. She has exhibited in North America and Europe. High profile collections include the Eli Lilly permanent collection, the Madeleine Albright collection and the Cleve Carney Museum of Art among others.
The work of Stuart Yankell celebrates life and the common fabric of humanity. Combining abstraction with a kinetic approach rooted in classical lighting and form, he embraces historical convention while seeking to expand the language of art. For nearly four decades, Yankell has painted a multitude of musical and dance forms, as well as figurative themes based on a broad range of universal settings. He has traveled to nearly 20 countries, and his works are developed through a combination of on-site painting, studio work with live models, and the forces of instinct and imagination.
The White Room Gallery is at 3 Railroad Avenue in East Hampton. For details, visit thewhiteroom.gallery.
Staff Writer on Sep 19, 2024