Throughout her work, Smith creates systems and rules to adhere to and plays with the relationship between artist and machine.
Smith’s work encompasses drawing, paper cutting, painting and installation.
Joni Smith invites viewers to reassess how we trust visual representations of our world, especially as we shun the paper map in favour of the technological advances made by portable hand held GPS devices that tell us only the route we should be navigating and nothing else, other than which will be 'the best' of the five places that you can buy a new business suit from before your night in the Travel Lodge.
Originally from Leamington Spa, raised in the hills of North Wales and currently residing in Norwich, Joni Smith received a degree in Fine Art Textiles from Loughborough University (2002) before completing a Masters degree in Textile Culture from Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) in 2007, attaining a Distinction. It is not hard to see that her background in textile-based disciplines informs Joni's use of paper materials.
EDUCATION
2007 Distinction, MA Textile Culture, Norwich University College of the Arts (NUCA), Norwich
2002 Second Class Honors, Upper Division, Multimedia Textiles, Loughborough University, Loughborough
1999 Foundation in Art and Design, Mid Warwickshire College, Leamington Spa
COMMISSIONS
Ongoing - Private collage, paper-cut, drawing and painting commissions
2019 paper hanging blue whale installation, Made, London
2018 ARTEFACT Consultants, Vintry & Mercer, London
2017 ARTEFACT Consultants, Hotel Corinthia, London
2017 LiteraryAtlasWales, 'Deep Mapping'
English-language novels set in Wales, Cardiff
2015 Paper buildings for Architecture project with Michael Innes
2013 Commission: Hand cut topological style map of Birmingham
2011 Thames Map, Corinthia Hotel, London
2009 ‘Bon Appetite’, wood cut words in various languages, (W.C)
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 Window Takeover, Circlespace, Norwich
2020 Marzano & the Forum, Norwich
2020 Woolf & Social, Norwich
2019 Playhouse, Norwich
2017 Fairhurst Gallery, Norwich
2017 Marzano, Norwich / E Street Smokehouse, Norwich
2016 Tealeaf London, London
2013 Festival of Architecture FANN13, Fabulous Frames, Norwich
2011 Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, Stew Gallery, Norwich
2011 Festival of Architecture Norwich and Norfolk 2011, The Iron House, Norwich
2009 Targetfollow at Center Point, London
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2020
Inter-lude, Marzano & the Forum, Norwich
Works on Paper, Frestonian Gallery, London
2019
'FESTIVAL', Norfolk by Design (now Contemporary and Country), Houghton Hall, Norfolk
Emanate, Anteros Arts Foundation, Norwich
Literary Atlas Wales, Touring Exhibition, Wales
2018
'ORDINARY WORLDS', Norfolk by Design, (now Contemporary and Country), Creake Abbey, Norfolk
'When Will You Learn That There Isn't a Word for Everything?', Nunn's Yard, Norwich
Cley18, Cley, Norfolk
2016
Building Art Spaces, Artists 8, Nunns Yard Gallery, Norwich
2014
Foxlowe Art Centre, PAPER exhibition, Staffordshire
Hidden exhibition, The Undercroft, Norwich
2012
Space Art Life Summer exhibition, Brick Lane, London
2010
Where Are You Now?, The Gallery, NUCA, Norwich
2009
Made to Measure, 'Fusion' in conjunction with the BBC, at The Forum, Norwich
2007
Masters Exhibition, NUCA, Norwich
The Late Shift - Architecture week, Sainsbury Centre, Norwich (more info)
2006
'In Rete' (in the net) mini art textiles, Touring exhibition, Como, Italy
MA Show 2006, NUCA, Norwich2012 Submit & Exhibit, Art in the Underbelly, Rumsey Wells, Norwich
Matter out of Place, Place out of Matter, NSAD, Norwich
Art and East Anglia program, Sainsbury Centre, Norwich
RESIDENCIES & TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2011 Summer Residency, Stew Gallery, Norwich
2008-10 Sessional work on MA Textile Culture, NUCA, Norwich
2009-10 Artist in Residence, Wymondham College, Norfolk
2008-09 Residency, City College, Norwich
2005-06 Graduate Teaching Assistant on BA Contemporary Textiles and Fine Art
2003 Teaching AVCE Fashion Textiles, Warwickshire College, Leamington Spa