Galleria Monteoliveto

ian kingsford-smith

These artworks are from Kingsford-Smith’s recent Afterlife exhibition held in Sydney, Australia, September 2017.. The pottery pieces and statuettes are part of the personal effects and artifacts required for the journey into the afterlife. The framed aquatint etchings, from the series titled Scenes from daily life, allude to the ancient Egyptian practice of painting scenes from the life of the deceased onto the walls of the tomb. The grave goods are inscribed with narrative paintings that represent the imagined life journey of the tomb owner and the collective understanding of the human condition associated with both ancient Egyptian and medieval European cultures. The sources of the narratives are highly diverse and complicate the division between individual and collective memory. Kingsford-Smith combines narrative associated with fundamental dimensions of human experience (the cycle of life, love, despair, etc), rituals associated with ancestor worship, burial, the impact of the dead on the living and mythological representations of the relationship between the earthly and heavenly realms. He also draws on contemporary narratives to draw out the lingering impact of ancient spiritual beliefs on present times. Ian has had solo exhibitions at ARO Gallery, Sydney 2017 (Afterlife) view video: https://youtu.be/Vfze61Vpm14, M2 Gallery, Sydney 2016 (Lineage) view video: https://youtu.be/JiDDBmGMYcc  Sheffer Gallery, Sydney 2015 (Mappa Vitae – Life Maps) view video: https://youtu.be/Je9Ud9LxHvc  GAFFA, Sydney 2014 (Pilgrimage), Global Gallery, 2013 (Dreams in Captivity), 2012 (Australian Stories) 2011 (Dingoes) 2010 (Trees on Paper) and group exhibitions in painting and printmaking in Florence Italy, New York USA, Melbourne, Auckland NZ and Cairns, and as a finalist in the Australian Contemporary Art Award 2016. Previously he has had solo and group exhibitions in Auckland, Dunedin and Palmerston North, New Zealand. His work is represented in private and corporate collections in USA, Sweden, France, Germany, Wales, England, New Zealand and Australia.