Smith has dedicated his artistic career to visually investigating one place, remaining aesthetically aware of his surroundings in a manner that has allowed him to beautifully photograph the nuance of Eastern Tennessee over the span of almost 40 years. Smith’s work evokes familiarity in a way that only great photographs can. They hold a narrative that truthfully and sensitively represents his subject matter in a way that leads the viewer to understand the sensibility of the places and people that he photographs.
In spite of this inherent familiarity, his work still holds enough mystery to leave the viewer with engaged curiosity. It’s the balance of this aesthetic sensitivity and visual complexity that makes these works so successful
and intriguing.
Smith's large-scale photograph Erwin, TN was acquired this winter by the Asheville Art Musuem.
Web feature on "Representing Place."
“Boston Gardens, 1977-78” and “Fenway Park, 1977-78,” photographs by Mike Smith from his book Streets of Boston, which was published in January by Stanley/Barker. Smith’s work is on view through May 28 at Tracey Morgan Gallery.
Mike Smith has lived, taught, and photographed in and around Johnson City, Tennessee, for nearly 40 years. An army brat born in Germany in 1951, Smith served in Vietnam before attending the Massachusetts College of Art, receiving his MFA from Yale, and eventually relocating to Johnson City. But East Tennessee is a part of the world where even decades of hard work and residency don’t turn a transplant into a real local, as is suggested by the title of Smith’s 2004 book, You’re Not from Around Here.
Feature on the exhibition "Representing Place: Photographs of Appalachia," at Tracey Morgan Gallery
