Superimpostor: Works by Brett Smith
BY BETH CHEKOL A
visual effects such as mirrors and tricks of light, the artist
allows the viewers to “see” what they can only imagine.
To some cultures, the lunar landscape is a mythical space,
beyond human grasp. Yet Smith’s Hertzsprung makes it
almost tangible; the viewer can experience a facsimile of the
landscape from multiple vantage points. Smith’s installation
is not meant to be immersive. The terrain is drawn from
actual NASA calculations, translated into digital code, and
cut using a computer-controlled router. This landscape is
accurate but Smith’s hand artistically fashions the piece.
Viewers may feel awe at the possibility of someday actually
standing on the moon just as they can easily make a
recreational visit to the Grand Canyon.
Brett Smith, Hertzsprung (detail), 2012, wood, metal, foam, paint, mirror
Brett Smith’s installation “Superimpostor” immediately
confronts visitors with what appears to be a vivid
lunar landscape. Although many iconic high-resolution
photographs of the moon are available from the Apollo
missions, only a few of humans have glimpsed the surface
of the moon from this perspective. Smith’s work combines
painting, sculpture, and computer-aided construction, and
his work Hertzsprung gives physical form and space to an
otherwise inaccessible landscape.
Smith draws inspiration from movie set designs, using
architectural modeling to create sculptural spaces that
appear real. Hertzsprung is a topographical trompe l’oeil,
a subversion of reality. The artist represents “moon dust”
using meticulous piles of pigment, and the horizon is made
of Styrofoam and a cleverly angled mirror. At the core of this
work is a tension between simulation and reality. By using
Lurking beneath the surface of science-fiction films is the
desire to reveal the secrets of their artifice. Consider the
public’s increasing fascination with documentaries that
painstakingly detail films’ special-effects process. The
illusion itself is not enough. Suspension of disbelief is not
complete until viewers know exactly how they are fooled.
Smith is interested in the moment when special effects fail,
revealing the human touch: the improbable face melting like
poured paint, the uncut thread dangling from the Creature’s
costume, the moment when the trick itself is revealed.
Smith’s presentation suggests that as images of
unattainable spaces—previously existing only in the
collective imagination—become more prevalent, and space
exploration more complex, there is a kind of romantic loss.
The artist comments playfully; surely viewers know what
they are looking at is not real, and yet it is intoxicating to
believe it could be. Despite the artist’s technical precision,
this sculpture will always be an approximation.
With Superimposition Series, Smith has constructed what
he has coined the “superimposition machine,” in which a
pane of glass is psychedelically lit with LED lights. On both
sides of the glass are steel stands topped with small wooden
and mixed-media sculptures of Smith’s own design. When
viewed from either side, the forms’ reflections become
superimposed on top of one another, creating a twodimensional image that translates into a very convincing
three-dimensional effect. The sculptural forms become
essentially invisible, drawing attention instead to the
suspended image.
Susan Stewart writes about the aesthetics of scale,
suggesting that exaggeration is significant “only in relation
to quality and complexity.”1 When an image is enlarged
to powers much stronger than the human eye can see,
it dissolves and becomes abstract. The clarity and focus
of the original is lost. The more something is magnified,
the less nuanced and unique it becomes. Smith’s work
underscores that tension; his hand-made precision pales
in comparison to the whole and the meaning affixed to it.
Viewers engage with the illusion and with their individual
perceptions about reality.
Smith talks about science-fiction fandom, specifically the
popularity of sci-fi conventions, where fans, vendors, and
artists gather to embrace their collective attachment to
particular characters within the genre. He is especially
fascinated by the obsessive attention to detail many fans
employ as they recreate their favorite characters’ costumes.
At what point does the character become real? Smith’s
Superimposition Series highlights that tenuous moment
between the roles of fantasy and reality. Engaging with the
artwork requires viewers to heed prescribed cues—where
to stand, in which direction to look. Independent of context,
the individual sculptures are but mere parts of a greater
installation.
Freud’s concept of unheimliche (the uncanny) involves
sensing or feeling that something is strangely familiar. Many
science-fiction films use this concept to explore differences
between Earthly landscapes and alien planets. There is a
feeling of discomfort that accompanies that moment of
uncanny recognition. Throughout “Superimpostor,” viewers
face the uncanny. There is a vibrancy and dark-edged
humor to it, but also a delight. Questions arise, such as
“What role does the imagination play in a time when the
unknown is constantly discoverable?” or “Do we trust our
own perceptions?” It should be understood that all of these
questions are asked with a glint in the eye, perhaps even a
twinge of a smile.
1. Stewart, Susan. “The Gigantic,” On Longing, Durham & London:
Duke University Press, 1993, 89.
Beth Chekola is a writer and artist living in Minneapolis.
This exhibition is presented by the Minnesota Artists Exhibition
Program, a curatorial department of the Minneapolis Institute of
Arts, which features work selected by Minnesota artists. Generous
support for MAEP is provided by The McKnight Foundation and the
Jerome Foundation.
Right: Brett Smith, Superimposition, Console 5 and Console 6
(detail), 2012, wood, metal, mirror
Front: Brett Smith, Superimposition, Console 5 and Console 6
(detail), 2012, wood, metal, mirror
Inside flap: Brett Smith, Hertzsprung (detail), 2012, wood,
metal, foam, paint, mirror
Superimpostor
Brett Smith
AND
underwater
David Bowen
Superimpostor
January 18–March 31, 2013
Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program
Galleries
Opening Reception
Thursday, January 17, at 7 p.m.
Artists’ Talks
Thursday, February 21, at 7 p.m.
MAEP Special Guests
Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m.
ALL EVENTS ARE FREE, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
For more information about the artists,
this exhibition, and MAEP, visit:
artofthis.net/brett-smith
dwbowen.com
artsmia.org/maep
twitter.com/arts_maep
facebook.com/arts.maep
MINNESOTA ARTISTS EXHIBITION PROGRAM
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