Painter & Sculptor
Born and working in Sunderland, Smith approaches canvas, sketchbook and sculpture alike with a unique application of the human body.
Through experimental exploration of her craft, and the suggestive displacement of objects and ideas beyond their usual bounds, Smith’s work is at once both unexpected and captivating.
Skin Mapping
“Without visual stimuli, physical sensations take the reins and guide the artist’s hand.”
Since 2011, Smith has been developing a unique method, which she has called “Skin-Mapping”. Her full-body works, created through closed eyes and a focus on tactile sensations, portray the raw physicality of the body.
“Art of Living: Drawing in the Dark”, BBC Radio 4
In December 2018, Stephanie’s process of “Skin-Mapping” was the subject of a 28-minute audio documentary for BBC Radio 4, as she invited participants to close their eyes and put charcoal to canvas, to really feel the tactile sensations in their faces & bodies.
Mapping Armageddon: The Poet’s Chair
As part of Sunderland’s bid for the City of Culture 2021, Stephanie Smith and visual artist Barrie West, with the help of 19 poets, collaborated in a monumental exploration of man’s inhumanity towards man and the lessons which must be learnt, hosted at the Arts Centre Washington.
Smith, by contract, provided ‘The Poet’s Chair’, which was at once sculpture and pulpit; a unique performance space that demands we learn the lessons so many men and women died to teach us.
