I have been painting images of newspaper clippings for about twenty years now. They came to prominence in my work following 9\/11, the day of my MA graduation, when I showed a painting of Osama Bin Laden pointing a gun at a triumphant George Bush. It had been painted about a month previously in response to his contested election victory. The use of newspaper clippings provides a very flat spatial field, recalls certain trompe l\u2019oile 17th century still life and can deal directly with contemporary issues such as cloning and terrorism. These are contemporary manifestations of the timeless themes of birth and death. Recently I have been working on an ongoing, and never ending, series of obituaries. Obituaries condense a life into a few column inches and a single image \u2013 a scrap of newsprint that becomes a heavy token, a memento, even an icon, when rendered in paint. Within this series, I have most recently been working on a series of artist obituaries, using their self portraits as the image.<\/p>\n
The act of painting and therefore sustained concentration brings a degree of focus and depth to what otherwise would be fleeting moments in the press.<\/p>\n
2000 – 2001 MA Painting, City and Guilds of London Art School
\n1975 – 1978 BA Painting, Chelsea School of Art<\/p>\n
2021 ‘It was twenty years ago today…’ Retrospective 2001-2021<\/p>\n
CHARLIE SMITH london, London<\/p>\n
2021 ‘Portrait of Legacy’, Townsend Gallery, New York<\/p>\n
2020 ‘The Female Gaze’, CHARLIE SMITH london, London<\/p>\n
2018 ‘Autorretrato’ CHARLIE SMITH london, London<\/p>\n
2016 ‘The Death of The Artist’ CHARLIE SMITH london, London<\/p>\n
2014 Nachrufe. Galerie Braubach5, Frankfurt<\/p>\n
2014 ‘Obituaries & Other Works’ High House Gallery, Clanfield, Oxford.<\/p>\n
2013 ‘D.O.A: The Good the Bad and the Beautiful’ GUSFORD|los angeles<\/p>\n
2012 ‘Obituaries’ CHARLIE SMITH london, London<\/p>\n
2011 ‘9\/10<\/strong>\/11′ KENNY SCHACHTER\/ROVE, London<\/p>\n 2009 ‘An Existential Itch’ Gallerie Braubach5, Frankfurt 2007 ‘Death From Above’ Sartorial Art, London<\/p>\n 2003 Three Colts Gallery, London<\/p>\n 2001 The Foundry, London<\/p>\n 2019 ‘Royal Academy Summer’ Show Royal Academy, London<\/p>\n 2019 ‘Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Award’ Piano Nobile Gallery, London<\/p>\n 2018 ‘The Rules of Freedom’ Collyer Bristow Gallery, London<\/p>\n 2017 ‘Remains’ CHARLIE SMITH london, London<\/p>\n 2014 ‘The Great War’ CHARLIE SMITH london, London<\/p>\n 2014 \u2018The Future Can Wait\u2019 Victoria House, London<\/p>\n 2013 Six Degrees of Separation. Wimbledon Art Space, London<\/p>\n 2012 \u2018The End\u2019 Jacob\u2019s Island, London 2011 \u2018The Future Can Wait\u2019 Victoria House London 2010 Press Art, Museum der Moderne, Salzburg<\/p>\n 2009 The Future or Ruin, Charlie Smith, London<\/p>\n 2008 New London School, Gallerie Schuster, Berlin2008 Mark Moore Gallery, Los Angeles 2007 Still Life, Still, T1+2 Gallery, London<\/strong><\/p>\n Franco B, Tony Carter, Gordon Cheung, Oliver Clegg, Brian Griffiths, Anne Hardy, Dan Hays, Michael Landy, Alastair Mackie, Robin Mason, Hugh Mendes, Lisa Milroy, Boo Ritson, Amikam Toren.<\/p>\n 2006 Requiem, St. Anselm\u2019s Church, Kennington<\/strong><\/p>\n Andy Bannister, Michael Buhler, Tony Carter, Teresita Dennis, Andrew Grassie, James Jessop, Reece Jones, Jane Langley,Robin Mason, Hugh Mendes, Alex Gene Morrison,Gavin Nolan, Kate Palmer, Rosie Snell, Amikam Toren.<\/p>\n 2005 Heaven & Earth, Hackney Empire<\/strong><\/p>\n Kiera Bennett, Chris Davies, Barnaby Hosking,Reece Jones, Hugh Mendes, Alex Morrison,Gavin Nolan, Richard Wathen, Isabel Young<\/p>\n Art News 2005 Raid Projects, LA & 2004 Three Colts Gallery, London<\/strong> Jerry Hall, London 2003 Fresh Art Artist of the Year<\/p>\n 2005 – Tate Modern, London
\n2009 ‘An Existential Itch’ Loading Bay Gallery, London
\n2008 ‘An Existential Itch’ Fishmarket Gallery, Northampton<\/p>\nSelected Group Shows<\/h2>\n
\n2012 \u2018The Future Can Wait\u2019 Victoria House, London
\n2012 \u2018The Serpent\u2019s Tail\u2019 Witzenhausen Gallery, Amsterdam
\n2012 \u2018Polemically Small\u2019 Orleans House Gallery, London
\n2012 \u2018The Perfect Nude\u2019 Charlie Smith, London
\n2012 \u2018On The Horizon, New British Painters\u2019 Marine Contemporary, Los Angeles
\n2012 \u2018The Id, The Ego and The Superego\u2019 Braubach5 Gallery, Frankfurt<\/p>\n
\n2011 ‘The Possessed’ Charlie Smith, London<\/p>\n
\n2006 ‘NLK’, Wooster Projects, New York
\n2006 ‘Beyong the Grave’, Sartorial Art, London
\n2006 ‘Jerusalem’, Dean Clough Galleries, Halifax
\n2005 ‘Fuckin’ Brilliant’,Tokyo Wonder Site, Tokyo
\n2005 ‘Art News’, Raid Projects, Los Angeles
\n2005 Keith Talent Gallery, London
\n2005 ‘USUK’,Lab Gallery, New York
\n2005 ‘Green Door’,Sartorial Art, London
\n2004 ‘Forest’, Rockwell Gallery, London
\n2004 Three Colts Gallery, London
\n2004 Plus One Plus Two Gallery, London
\n2003 ‘Chockafukingblocked’, Jeffery Charles Gallery, London
\n2002 ‘Yesteryearnowadays’, Hales Gallery, London<\/p>\nCurated Shows<\/h2>\n
\nContemporary artists working with newspaper: Martin Creed, Amikam Toren, Gordon Cheung, Louise Hopkins,Hugh Mendes, Kim Rugg, Alex Hamilton, Chris Cook,Melanie Jackson, Eva Weinmayr, Gillian Wearing.<\/p>\nCollections<\/h2>\n
\nMauritz Huntzinger, Frankfurt
\nAngela Nikolakopoulou, London
\nPeter Nobel, Zurich
\nKenny Schachter, London
\nSteve Shane, New York
\nBill Wyman, London
\nWooster Projects, New York
\nPrivate collections in China, Germany, UK & USA<\/p>\nAward<\/h2>\n
Teaching<\/h2>\n
\n2002 – to date City and Guilds of London Art School<\/p>\nDownload CV<\/h2>\n