RICHARD SMOLINSKI
CAAF Residency st[art]@art central, October – November 2012
BIOGRAPHY
RICHard SMOLinski is a Calgary-based visual and performance artist. He recently received the first PhD in Art ever conferred by the University of Calgary, and he has received significant funding support from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Canada Council for the Arts. His work has been featured in a number of solo and group exhibitions in Canada and the USA. Most recently, it has been included in Sincerely Yours, The Propeller Centre for Visual Art’s 16th Annual Curated Exhibition (Toronto, Ontario) and The New Alberta Contemporaries, the inaugural exhibition at Calgary’s Esker Foundation Gallery. Lastly Summary, a collaborative undertaking with Calgary artist Linda Carreiro has been scheduled to be part of the City of Calgary’s Public Art Programme, Open Windows: Windows to a View and Cambridge, England’s upcoming Text & Context Festival.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
During Urbanxious I will be producing and disseminating alternative signage that concerns urban anxiety and explores a non-permanent and non-destructive form of graffiti. Fabricated from magnetic decal paper and corrugated plastic, these text-based and iconographic works will satirically comment upon the realities of living within a cosmopolitan urban centre and attempt to provoke discussion and dialogue regarding civic engagement. The specific subjects and scenarios will be drawn from current affairs and contemporary issues that arise during the tenure of the residency.
The audience is invited to visit and develop signage of interventions into their own local community.