Trinity Western University’s Department of Art + Design is pleased to present Cody Smith’s new exhibition Between Tool and Material, on display at the SAMC gallery from November 7 to December 16. Through the use of reclaimed materials, the paintings presented in this exhibition explore the unseen labour of industrial and construction workers, and the memories contained in ordinary materials.
Sourcing his materials directly from the built environment, Smith challenges traditional painting conventions by incorporating building materials such as plywood, steel, and concrete into his work. Over the past several years, Smith has continued to refine his processes, creating paintings that are increasingly complex and use a greater variety of materials. His process serves as both an excavation and an act of reverence, a way of examining his own personal history while reflecting on the broader narrative of human labour and our relationship to materials.
Through his paintings, Smith highlights traces of the human hand contained in the building materials he gathers from construction sites. From a faded factory stamp or fragment of handwriting to the curved gesture of a discarded off-cut, he combines these traces into complex paintings brimming with movement. In a world that is increasingly dominated by technologies that drown out or seek to erase human labour, Smith’s work creates space for these traces of invisible labour, and the individuals behind them, to be seen and valued.
The title of the exhibition references how Smith sees his role as the artist as mediating between tool and material. Of this role, he says, “I feel like I’m the guy at the bar splitting up the fight.” The works contain this sense of struggle, but also a sense of play. As a dad of four, it is not surprising that his paintings have started to resemble the playful shapes of building blocks, an influence that he embraces in this work.
Smith holds a BFA from OCAD University and an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. While he draws deeply on art historical influences, his painting practice is equally informed by his experiences working in the trades as a carpenter and construction site supervisor. More recently, he has turned his attention to painting full time while caring for his four young children.
Between Tool and Material runs from November 7 to December 16 at the SAMC Gallery on Trinity Western University’s Langley Campus. Exhibition and events are free and open to the public.
Opening Reception + Artist Talk: Thursday, Nov 26, 7-8:30 pm.
Art Coffee Break: December 1, 11:30 a.m.- 12 p.m.
