“Abidjan Children” (1972 / 2003) by Ming Smith
While museums and galleries are temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 virus, On View will continue to showcase images from noteworthy exhibitions
A PIONEERING AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER, Ming Smith is known for her experimental techniques. Her painterly and artfully blurred images are achieved with slow shutter speeds, double exposure, and hand painting. A survey of Smith’s work is on view at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery in London. “Painting with Light: The Photography of Ming Smith” features images dating from the 1970s to present. Two spiritual images, “Sunday Morning Service, Harlem” (1990) and “First Sunday I (Grandmother’s Pocketbook)” (1980) exemplify her use of the blur. “Ming Smith is in my opinion the greatest African American photographer ever,” Arthur Jafa has said. “What she’s been able to do in her ability to both create blur and precision and definition at the same time is unparalleled.” CT
“Painting with Light: The Photography of Ming Smith” is presented by Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, in an online viewing room, from May 21-July 25, 2020. The exhibition is also available on the Vortic Collect app
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MING SMITH, “First Sunday I (Grandmother’s Pocketbook),” 1980 (archival silver gelatin print, 35.6 x 27.9 cm, 14 x 11 inches). | © Ming Smith, Courtesy the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
MING SMITH, “Sunday Morning Service, Harlem,” 1990 (archival silver gelatin print 40.6 x 50.8 cm, 16 x 20 inches). | © Ming Smith, Courtesy the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
MING SMITH, “Self Portrait (Total),” 1986 (archival silver gelatin print, 50.8 x 40.6 cm, 20 x 16 inches). | © Ming Smith, Courtesy the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
MING SMITH, “Farewell to Alvin Ailey,” 1989 (archival silver gelatin print, 40.6 x 50.8 cm, 16 x 20 inches. | © Ming Smith, Courtesy the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
MING SMITH, “Symmetry on the Ivory Coast, Abidjan, Ivory Coast,” 1972 (archival silver gelatin print). | © Ming Smith, Courtesy the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
“Lou Draper’s Pick,” 1973 (archival silver gelatin print, 40.6 x 50.8 cm, 16 x 20 inches). | © Ming Smith, Courtesy the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
MING SMITH, “Flower Lady,” 1996 (archival pigment print, 35.6 x 27.9 cm, 14 x 11 inches). | © Ming Smith, Courtesy the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
MING SMITH, “America Seen Through Stars and Stripes, New York City, New York Painted,” 1976 (archival pigment print, 61 x 76.2 cm, 24 x 30 inches). | © Ming Smith, Courtesy the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
TOP IMAGE: MING SMITH, “Abidjan Children” 1972/2003 (archival pigment print, 40.6 x 50.8 cm, 16 x 20 inches). | © Ming Smith, Courtesy the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
New York-based Ming Smith’s work is also on view in “Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop” (Feb. 1-Oct. 18, 2020) at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond (which remains temporarily closed due to COVID-19) and “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (which has reopened), through Aug. 30, 2020.
FIND MORE Arthur Jafa spoke about Ming Smith’s photography in this video when his exhibition “A Series of Utterly Improbable, Yet Extraordinary Renditions,” featuring work by Smith, was on view at Serpentine Galleries in London in 2017
BOOKSHELF
The “Ming Smith” is first comprehensive monograph of Smith. Documenting three decades of work, the volume is forthcoming from Aperture in September. “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” and “Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop” document exhibition featuring Smith’s work.
