Geoffrey Todd Smith creates complex, system-based abstractions that begin with a repetitious, procedural approach to each work, operating like a game board or playing field on which to explore more free-form, responsive endeavors.
The harsh system quickly gives way to meandering shapes but provides a supportive tension against the stylized organic riffing. The result is often an eruption of concentrated color and form or, in this case, a smokey noir atmosphere rooted in Smith’s love of science fiction, decorative arts and his general frustration with most technological advancements. The playfully developed titles for each work provide additional nuance without completely revealing any narrative truths.
Geoffrey Todd Smith’s work is in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Hallmark Inc., Fidelity Investments Corporate Art Collection, the Jager Collection in Amsterdam, Soho House Chicago, the South Bend Art Museum in Indiana, and Harper College in Illinois and has been shown at Newfields: The Indianapolis Museum of Art, Luis de Jesus Gallery and Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles; Hyde Park Art Center, DePaul Art Museum and Shane Campbell Gallery in Chicago; The Hughes Gallery in Australia; The Green Gallery in Milwaukee; The Front in New Orleans; Illinois State Museum, and the Elmhurst Art Museum in Illinois. He has been written about in New City, The Seen, New American Paintings, Bad at Sports, art ltd, Juxtapoz, Chicago Tribune, and Chicago Magazine. Smith is represented by Western Exhibitions and he lives and works in Chicago.
