Photographer Patrick Smith poetically envisions the de-naturalization of the landscape brought about by modernity, through the prism of the travel industry.
Enlightened stroller, Patrick Smith never separates gazing from questioning. Every horizon carries a meaning that his photography endeavors to bring to light. And so, as a critical observer of the unstable relationship between the 21st century environment and its inhabitants, he initiated this singular project called « The Leisure Territories » : a photographic approach of our "natural environment" that reveals how our society secularly designs landscapes to fit our requirements. Patrick Smith shows us a world polished to smallest detail, carrying the unreal, the abstract, even some strange poetry. He envisions the de-naturalization of the landscape brought about by modernity through the prism of the travel industry. This industry can both transform a landscape into a "monstrous being" we no longer recognize; or render it superficially perfect and unthreatening.
Patrick Smith shows us the world in all its abstract "unreality". The figures are so ideally placed within the photographs, one can easily think they are staged. If the composition of some photographs brings to mind the paintings of Brueghel the Elder; the glazed texture and incisive colours recall the enchanting worlds conjured by advertising. Skiing on polyester snow, dining in peristyle-filled forests, sunbathing on beaches; the men and women leisurely occupying Patrick Smith's landscapes invite us to reconsider the way we see our world.
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Patrick SmithAtlantic City, USA, 2018Lambda print mounted on Diasec100 x 135 cm (39 x 53 in)Edition of 7 + 2 AP
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Patrick SmithEtretat, 2018Lambda print mounted on Diasec100 x 145 cm (39 x 57 in)Edition of 7 + 2 AP
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Patrick SmithSaint Michel 2, 2016Lambda print mounted on Diasec100 x 165 cm (39 x 65 in)Edition of 7 + 2 AP
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Patrick SmithLes Sables d'Olonne, 2014Lambda print mounted on Diasec110 x 150 cm (43 x 59 in)Edition of 7 + 2 AP
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Patrick SmithVerdon Gorges, 2014Lambda print mounted on Diasec100 x 135 cm (39 x 53 in)Edition of 7 + 2 AP
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Patrick SmithMont Saint Michel, 2014Lambda print mounted on Diasec140 x 194 cm (55 x 76 in)Edition of 3
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Patrick SmithSaint-Martin Belleville 3, 2014Lambda print mounted on Diasec114 x 145 cm (45 x 58 in)Edition of 7 + 2 AP
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Patrick SmithL'Espiguette, 2008Lambda print mounted on Diasec88 x 150 cm (35 x 59 in)Edition of 10 + 2 AP
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Patrick SmithPont du Gard, 2006Silverprint mounted on plexiglass100 x 117 cm (39.4 x 46.1 in)Edition of 7
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Patrick SmithCollioure, 2006Lambda print mounted on Diasec100 x 123 cm (39.4 x 48.4)Edition of 7
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Patrick SmithAiguille du midiLambda print mounted on Diasec100 x 163 cm (39.4 x 64.2 in)Edition of 7 + 1 AP
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Patrick SmithVal Thorens 2Silverprint mounted on plexiglass100 x 117 cm (39 x 46 in)Edition of 7 + 2 AP
Born in Lille, France, in 1955, Patrick Smith is both of French and British descent. He started photography in England at the age of 12 and turned professional after a short career as an engineer. He worked for prestigious magazines (NY Times magazine, Le Monde, amongst others) shooting architecture and travel features. His work is exhibited by several galleries worldwide. K+Y has been promoting Patrick Smith for several years now and presented his work international art fairs in London, Amsterdam, New York…
SOLO & GROUP SHOWS
2017
K+Y gallery, Paris
2016
AAF Hong Kong
AAF New York
Art hamptons
Izzy gallery, Toronto
Chroma gallery, Sao Paolo
James Danziger gallery, New York
K+Y gallery, London
2015
K+Y gallery, Paris
AAF New York
Art hamptons
Izzy gallery, Sao Paolo
James Danziger gallery, New York
2014
AAF London
AAF Hong Kong
AAF Hambug
AAF New York
Art Miami
2013
AAF Hamburg
AAF Brussels
K+Y gallery, Paris
2012
London Art Fair
AAF Los Angeles
Art Chicago
K+Y gallery, Paris
James Danziger Gallery, New York
2011
AAF New York
2010
Danziger Projects, New York
2009
AAF New York
2008
Wanted gallery, Paris
Form Art Fair, London
Bridge Art Fair, London
AAF London
AAF New York
AAF Paris
Glasgow Art Fair
Art Santa Fe, New Mexico
Art London
K+Y gallery, Paris
2007
AAF London
AAF New York
AAF Amsterdam
Lineart, Ghent, Belgium
K+Y gallery, Belgium
2006
Jen Bekman gallery, New York