February 11 - March 11, 2006

E.E. Smith's exhibition Similitudes marks a dramatic break from her work of the last decade. In Similitudes , Smith returns to sculpture, a medium she has not investigated for years. The natural world - a cosmology of orbs and ladders created out of vines and tree limbs - fills the space of the gallery; while on the walls hang photographic images of the spheres in the sky.   In this new body of work, Smith allows the viewer to contemplate the heroic, if futile, human endeavor to strive for perfection.

The similitudes in question call attention to the gap between the imperfection of earthly pursuits and the flawlessness of heavenly spheres.   Indeed, the juxtaposition of the physicality of the textured three-dimensional objects with the silvery two-dimensional photographs underscores this breach. Throughout the gallery, globe-like sculptures hang from the ceiling or are precariously perched on roughly-hewn, unstable stools.   Created by weaving and interlacing strands of honeysuckle vine and hemp, these never-solid orbs are the equivalent of automatic drawing.  

Elegant ladders, tenderly carved and hopelessly fragile, populate the space. Leaning against the walls, they link the earthly realm with the heavenly and yet, are utterly inadequate for their ostensible purpose. This disparity has a disquieting effect, offering and yet denying the possibility of moving to higher ground.

The photographs correspond to the celestial: the heavens surround the viewer with representations of the moon at various stages, and the brilliant sun. Smith's photographs are stark, graphic and appear absolutely untouched by human hand. Their luminosity fixes these images as Platonic ideals, as manifestations of our desire for perfection.

For further information, please contact the gallery.