Art Lies, Volume 66, Summer 2010 Page: 88
96 p. : col. ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
L. John Smith, The Black Tower, 1985-7; 16mm film, color, sound; 24 minutes
R. Gargantuan, 1992; 16mm film, color, sound; 1 minute; images courtesy Sala
Diaz, San AntonioSAN ANTONIO
John Smith
Sala DiazInstilled with a Eurocentric knowledge of art history, I have always prided
myself on being able to place a piece within its cultural time and place.
Pinning a work of art as late Baroque or 1990s lowbrow has always given
me a sense of pride by deriding these works for their self-dating tenden-
cies. I have always longed for works that can transcend this detrimental
fate. The same goes for John Smith's films. After watching the first ninety-
minute installment of a four-and-a-half hour marathon of Smith's collected
works (dating from the mid seventies to 1990), I had come to the conclusion
that: 1) Smith makes funny films using dry, English wit and sleight-of-hand
irony 2) these early works illicit a romantic longing for the 16mm days of
freedom and exploration (by virtue of my birth in the early eighties, I have
projected a mentality of forward thinking and joyous extolling of emotion
on these times). Simultaneously, I thought these films were good, but I
wasn't sure I could take another three hours. I just saw Associations (1975),
The Girl Chewing Gum (1976) and The Black Tower (1985-87). I thought I had
it figured out, I thought I knew the jokes would keep coming and I thought
I would start getting really bored. I was right and wrong.
The second installment spans the 1990s. I watched in horror as a lily
gets smashed into a plate of glass in The Kiss (1999)-horror at the telltale
signs of an aesthetic I instantly recognized as a wholly post-Pop, over-
illuminated and highly focused juxtaposition of beauty and destruction.
I quipped, "How 1990s!" As the second installment continued, I thought
about the ways in which these films date themselves as such, and how
the previous round was so different in its feel and mood. Gone was the
wry humor and open optimism; instead, delirium, loss and destructionmark Smith's work at the end of the century. I recognized the shift, and I
expected another.
The third program of films features the "Hotel Diaries" series Smith
has been making since 2001. Without a doubt, these videos stand in stark
contrast to earlier works. Humor is found in Smith's ridiculous surround-
ings and circumstances. The pedantic tone of these pieces is indicative of
our collective incoherence. The straightforward, journalistic approach in
these videos reiterates our embrace of a false sense of transparency.
In essence, Smith has managed to capture and preserve the voice and
mentality of the times in which he has lived. I was right: things get dated
and lose their historical grandeur. But I was also wrong: this is not an
altogether bad thing. Taken as a whole, Smith's works act as a barometer
of the times in which they were made, an accurate one, which sheds an
illuminating perspective on our current mindset-one in which nothing is
witty and every choice is a political one.
Chad Dawkins is an artist and critic based in San Antonio.88 ART LIES NO. 66
6~~:~'j '1 ~~lirlrn:I-rril~:Ns~P+gu ~ s r~ g 2 I :,l~L~% Jtr~~LU
rN, it j!i g m
1~
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Gupta, Anjali. Art Lies, Volume 66, Summer 2010, periodical, 2010; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth228031/m1/90/?q=%22Puleo%2C+Risa%22: accessed June 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .