Description

Emily Mae Smith. Memento Mori Wall Clock. Laminated print mounted on Sintra with high-torque quartz clock. 12" x 9 ¼" x 1 ¼", Signed edition of 35. $350. Emily Mae Smith paints with a highly edited eye, sophisticated technical prowess, and an encyclopedic breadth of references that traverse art history, pop culture, and feminist theory. Due to their complexity, Smith's slick surfaces provide a variety of entry points for viewer engagement. Based on her painting titled The Studio (Memento Mori), Smith's new edition Memento Mori Wall Clock presents audiences with a literal interpretation on her metaphorical rumination of the passage of time. Its composition references 17th century Vanitas paintings, while the melting ice cube and refracted low slung cherry represent sensuality, mortality, and the perilous position of the female artist. With Smith's recurrent phrase "The Studio" looming overhead, Memento Mori Wall Clock becomes an intricate exploration of the tremendous force that creation exerts over ones desires and fears.