ACT/NATURALLY
2013
About The Exhibition
In this latest body of work by the artist Craig Actually Smith, the exhibition ACT/NATURALLY presents striking canvasses of figurative abstractions, who’s thematic is the capture of fragments from the everyday. More specifically these are takes on stories from popular media to personal moments experienced by the artist. Bold palettes dominate the exhibition, which contrasts his artistic shyness. Informed by his professional involvement in the film industry, photography, childhood experiences and memories Craig Smith applies confident brush strokes to characters that unsettle you, yet lures you in. In his use of abstraction, flattened backgrounds, stark contrast in the application of primary colours there is a striking immediacy and one dimensionality, which draws you in. Yet this is juxtaposed with the subtler use of pastel colour combinations, which speaks of the nuanced multi-layered interpretations in each of the works.
His on going move towards the figurative versus earlier abstractions align with his more concerted effort to focus on his artistic career at present, which as he says allows him to navigate things more confidently and intuitively.
In this latest presentation of works by Craig Actually Smith, the Oils on Canvas under the title ACT/NATURALLY, also comment on the underlining need for expression, without the fanfare and academic contextualisation or positioning in the market of the artist’s practice. The intuitive, honest and direct approach is what remains fundamental.