Kambel Smith

About

Kambel Smith creates large-scale sculptures representing iconic works of architecture using cardboard salvaged from the trash and other discarded materials such as foam core and paint. His recent works include Guild House (2019), Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (2019), Shake Shack (2019), and Tbilisi Bridge (2019), revealing the artist’s current interest in the work of architects Frank Gehry, Robert Venturi, and James Wines.

The Realm of Nevaeh (2019) is an invented, imaginary structure, commissioned for the exhibition One Day You’ll See: A History of Afrofuturism at the Brooklyn Print & Photo Fair, Brooklyn, New York.

Smith was diagnosed with Autism when he was eight years old. During the past ten years, his father has engaged the artist in daily improvised storytelling, encouraging Smith to participate in the created narrative by making drawings and sculpture. Smith typically takes up to five months to realize one of his  finished models,  and the artist’s hand is evident throughout the process,  from the overall structure to precisely observed details. His use of found materials and obsessive attention to detail provide a unique insight into our architectural environment.

Coinciding with the exhibition at Marlborough, Kambel Smith’s Philadelphia will be on view at Fleisher/Ollman, Philadelphia from November 7, 2019 through January 25, 2020.

Smith has had one-person exhibitions at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA; Elaine de Kooning House, East Hampton, NY; 2019 Outsider Art Fair (presented by Chris Byrne), New York, NY.  He has been included in group exhibitions at Marlborough, London, and One Day You’ll See: A History of Afrofuturism curated by Brian Chidester at the Brooklyn Print & Photo Fair, Brooklyn, New York.

Smith’s work is included in the collections of the American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY and the West Collection, Philadelphia, PA.