Kiki Smith

As you explore the diverse and prolific career of American artist Kiki Smith, you will encounter a creative force that has shaped contemporary art over the last four decades. Through her multi-disciplinary practice spanning sculpture, printmaking, photography, and installation, Smith has carved out a unique artistic vision that explores themes of spirituality, human existence, and the natural world. 

Pushing the boundaries of traditional craft and artistic media, she has produced an oeuvre of strikingly visceral and poetic works that provide insight into what it means to inhabit a human body. From her early sculptures depicting bodily fluids and internal organs to her recent monumental stained-glass installations, Smith’s art evokes both the fragility and resilience of human life. 

Smith’s career is a reminder of the power of unbridled creativity and a testament to the fact that embracing one’s unique vision can lead to a lifetime of meaningful work. Her story serves as an inspiration, proving that one woman’s perseverance and passion for her craft can reshape the world in her image.

Follow the fascinating journey of this innovative artist who has made an indelible mark on the global art scene. Her introspective and deeply personal creations invite you to reflect on life’s deepest mysteries and experiences we all share.

Kiki Smith BIOGRAPHY

Early Life and Education

Kiki Smith was born on January 18, 1954, in Nuremberg, Germany to American artist Tony Smith. She grew up in an artistic household in South Orange, New Jersey surrounded by her father’s artist friends. Smith received her BFA from Hartford Art School in 1976. She then moved to New York City and joined the artist community of the Lower East Side.

In the early 1980s, Smith began creating sculptures and prints using the human body as a central theme. Her controversial sculptural work centered on bodily fluids and the visceral interior of the human form. 

What is Kiki Smith known for?

Kiki Smith is an American artist known for her diverse body of work which includes sculpture, printmaking, photography, and drawing. She is particularly recognized for her exploration of the human body, often incorporating themes of femininity, spirituality, and nature.

Career highlights

Finding Her Voice: Smith’s Early Works in the 1980s

Kiki Smith’s earliest works in the 1980s established her as an innovative artist willing to push the boundaries of contemporary art. Her visceral and unflinching portrayals of the human body explored themes of birth, death, and regeneration.

What Materials Does Kiki Smith Use?

Smith’s eclectic use of materials, from bronze and plaster to fabric, glass, and paper, gave her sculptures a raw and primal quality.

Prominence and Recognition in the 1990s

By the 1990s, Kiki Smith had gained prominence and recognition in the art world. Her provocative and unsettling sculptures and prints explored themes of birth, death, and regeneration.

Major Museum Shows

Following her success in Venice, Smith’s work was the subject of solo shows at major museums around the world. These included exhibitions at:

• Walker Art Center in Minneapolis
• Museum of Modern Art in New York
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
• Center Georges Pompidou in Paris

Printmaking and Drawing

Smith is also known for her prolific body of prints and drawings. Her prints, created through etching, lithography, woodcut, and monoprint techniques, also employ bodily imagery and anatomical themes. Smith’s drawings, typically done in ink or pastel, are more abstract yet still evocative of human figures and forms.

Recent Work

In recent years, Smith has expanded into large-scale sculpture and installation. With a career spanning over 40 years, Kiki Smith has established herself as one of the most prominent female artists of her generation.

Kiki Smith List of Work

Pushing Boundaries in the 21st Century

In the 21st century, Kiki Smith has continued to push the boundaries of contemporary art. Her more recent work has focused on a variety of mediums, including bronze sculptures, tapestries, photography, and film.

Bronze Sculptures

Smith has created several notable bronze sculptures, including:

• “Born,” a life-size sculpture depicting a nude woman crouching in an embryonic position, situated at the Stuart Collection of public art at the University of California San Diego
• “Rapture” depicts two nude female figures ascending into the air, grasping onto the legs of a third figure. 

Tapestries

Smith has also produced large-scale tapestries for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, including: 

• “Sky” 
• “Sea”

These monumental woven tapestries feature a menagerie of animals, plants, and celestial objects, demonstrating Smith’s lifelong fascination with the natural world. The soft, malleable nature of the fabric is a departure from Smith’s frequent use of hard materials like bronze, suggesting her desire to continue experimenting with new creative mediums.

Photography and Film

More recently, Smith has explored the mediums of photography and film. 

• “The Homecoming: Photographs and Films of Kiki Smith,” exhibited at the Parrish Art Museum in 2018

It included photographs of post-mortem animals as well as several short films. Her poignant photographs of deceased animals are a sobering meditation on mortality, typical of Smith’s tendency to grapple with life’s more unsettling and existential themes. 

Prestigious Honors

Smith received many prestigious honors recognizing her important contributions to contemporary art. 

• Skowhegan Medal for Sculpture in 1993 
• Athena Award for Excellence in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1995
• Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters

Honors such as these affirmed Smith’s mastery and influence within her medium.