Michael Bell-Smith
January 25—April 8, 2012
Maine native Bell-Smith’s rigorously constructed lo-fi environments are immediately recognizable to those familiar with the history of personal computers or home gaming systems, yet they are not concerned with nostalgia. Rather, they are deeply systematic, detailed, rewarding, and considerate of historical and critical engagement, looking to reduce digital forms to their simplest being. Both remixing “found” technologies and creating his own software, Bell-Smith’s work brings humor, vibrancy, and provocative gestures that ask viewers to reconsider the cultural meaning of these iconic scenes. The exhibition will look both back to identify Bell-Smith’s links in art history and forward to explore how this influential work prefigured the way many young new media artists work with art institutions on large and sometimes difficult constructions. A very special video screening and conversation night will be held at University of Southern Maine’s Southworth Planetarium.
All images courtesy of the artist and Foxy Production, NY