Shanique Smith has work in the National Portrait Gallery. Click the picture to listen to an interview with her!

Dirty, dusty, dingy, deteriorating, decaying.  These are words which come to mind as one first views the building in which artist Shinique Smith‘s studio is located in.  Stepping into the decrepit elevator, and making quite a few attempts at securing the elevator door, a wave of awe and trepidation enveloped the atmosphere as the elevator slowly began its rise.

Entering Shinique’s studio, a vast empty space and walls of white are what first catches the eye.  Examining the room further, separate, single pieces of artwork are found scattered across various places around the room.  Shinique welcomed us in warmly with a smile as she bothered to ask each of our names. Shinique, her work having been exhibited at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (Boulder, CO), Studio Museum (Harlem, NY), National Portrait Gallery (Washington, DC),  The New Museum (New York City), and Deutsche Guggenheim (Berlin, Germany) to name a few, was surprisingly down to earth while displaying an amicable personality.  Needless to say, we warmed up to her immediately.

Deviating from what the building itself represented, Shinique’s studio was startlingly new and clean, albeit the scattered pieces of art lying around.  Shinique’s art was interesting to say the least, using everything from her own old baby clothes, to pounds of recycled my little pony toys, to old vintage barbie and ken dolls, to clothing and shoes donated by friends and family, to emptied glass bottles.  She effectively uses these wastes of America’s consumer culture to her own favor as she sculpts and molds them into remarkable pieces of contemporary artwork.

Admittedly, Shinique’s artwork is considerably confounding and incomprehensible to those not previously exposed to such forms of contemporary art.  Even myself, as i found a large part of her artwork to be nonsensical and sometimes just downright peculiar.  Despite this, Shinique is able to keep an amiable tone even as we questioned some of her artwork.  She described her beginnings, and her childhood, what made her inspired to do art; she held back when we asked how she felt about certain critiques and articles written about her; and she faced every question earnestly and openly.  As Shinique elaborated on her artwork and her influences (the graffiti of her youth, as well as Japanese calligraphy, and discarded childhood memories/items), it was undeniable the sense of passion she possessed towards her art, and that passion is what ultimately drives her forward toward becoming a well established artist.

As she allowed us to embrace her at the end of the visit, I can certainly speak for everyone when I say that choosing the path towards becoming a well known artist, criticism and libel are unavoidable, but with a strong and genial personality and fiery passion for what she does, there is no doubt that Shinique Smith may fare and come out on top.