Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Smego.
Erin, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Both of my parents worked full-time, so I spent a lot of time by myself growing up. I would hang out in the woods at my parents’ house or play in the cornfields at my grandparents’ house in Manhattan, Illinois, carrying my sketchbook with me and drawing whenever I could.
My mom’s hobby was re-painting the rooms in our house different colors, and she would drag me with her to the paint store where we would be for hours and I used to hate it. We’d bring tons of samples home and tape them on the wall, and my mom and I would check on them at different points during the day, and comment on which ones we liked and how they changed according to the daylight and shadows. Eventually, this became my favorite activity to do with my Mom that we still do to this day.
As I got older, I would make secret drawings showing them to no one and realized this is what I really loved doing. I ended up going to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to study traditional watercolor painting and drawing, seguing into abstract, conceptual painting, and years after school seguing into conceptual sculpture and large-scale installations. I’ve been in Chicago for over a decade, and it’s really the only place that’s ever felt like home.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I make site-specific installations and sculptures which function as a conceptual practice to assay and deconstruct fashion trends. I utilize industrial materials (e.g. lumber, screws, staples) and iridescent skins, navigating current fashion elements, encapsulating relevant culture (say, athleti-leisure) into minimal, angular art objects and installations.
These sculptures and installations range in scale up to as large as thirty feet by thirty feet.
Deconstructing these ready-made materials (bodysuits, sports bras, leggings, make-up bags, etc.) hold inherent implications of a certain vibe, which is relevant in current culture whether one accepts or rejects current trends. Deconstructing and stapling these relatable materials in a playful yet minimal manner twists the perspective on what an ideal formal art object should be. Everyday elements implicate intimate ideas about one’s self that we project. I heavily consider and gravitate toward gender-neutral or unisex colors to encapsulate these concepts, questioning what that entails. Cerulean iridescent jackets, subtle silver and rainbow leggings, lilac make-up bags, periwinkle cashmere bodysuits or fuchsia vinyl backpacks combine with traditional construction materials to form sculptures that are both masculine, feminine, and neither simultaneously.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
Residencies can be a great place to feel that sense of community and support, and luckily some are located in Chicago. Gallery openings if you go to them often enough, eventually start to become fun and you can feel that friendliness in the Chicago art community. If either of those things isn’t your jam, try starting a critique group with your friends, or starting your own gallery space or events. Reaching out to artists you admire to do a studio visit with them can also be a slow but gradual way to feel more connected.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I’m currently participating as an artist-in-resident at HATCH Projects, Chicago Artist Coalition and the next upcoming group show will be in March 2019. I have a few other things in the works (a group show at baby blue gallery on January 11th, 2019 and public installations through Stumble Chicago in 2019), however, I frequently update my Instagram: colorsnob. I’m also currently working on a “Mini Lumber Drawing Series” in which I make minis of my large scale-installations that are affordable to the general public to help offset the costs of said large-scale installations. Also, more of my work can be found on my website: www.colorsnob.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: colorsnob.com
- Email: colorsnob@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colorsnob/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinsmego
Image Credit:
Dan Tertell
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