An Artist, To The Bone

Denton’s art scene gains momentum with the inclusion of world-renowned artist Kiki Smith, who is serving an artist’s residency at UNT for the 2013-2014 academic year. Known as one of the most influential artists of her generation, Smith spent her childhood in a household she compares to the Addams Family, including a gravestone carved with the family name in the yard. Among piles of turn-of-the-century clothes, domestic items and antique dentures, she carried out chores assigned by her father, sculptor Tony Smith, to help create his artwork. Somewhere in there, Kiki developed an interesting relationship with the concept of death and a fascination with the power, intrigue and fragility of the human body, which has carried through three decades of award-winning work. She has focused on organs, arteries, the womb, relationships with animals, the expression of the spiritual through the physical body, witches, saviors, blood and bodily functions throughout her portfolio, which spans sculpture, printmaking, drawings and photography. At UNT, Smith has worked on a series of prints and a wildflower-themed series, and she is currently preparing her show Transformations for its opening at UNT on the Square gallery. Smith will lecture at 7 p.m. Wednesday at 1147 Union Circle, ESSC building, room 255 on the UNT campus. If you missed Smith at the Nasher lecture series last year, don’t drag your feet on this one — the event is free and sure to fill quickly. Visit untonthesquare.unt.edu.
Wed., Jan. 29, 2014