second impressions
In my work as a sculptor I am always trying to add new meanings and possibilities to everyday objects, existing things, and second hand materials. In doing so, I am also re-examining a practice, playing with long established ideas about art, and the repetitive roles and tasks of the artists.
Selecting and handling the overlooked is one of the ways through which I increase and test my knowledge about the field, the material, and the matter. While re-thinking, making, or breaking them I often juxtapose and contrast form and function to highlight ideas that were not particularly evident to me at first.
Resulting sculptures and objects still display a lot about their origins. Yet, they also allude to a new context or configuration. Shifting from what they once were to what they are, to what they may become, moves us-- artists and viewers alike-- to a somewhat flexible ground where one may question its own perceptions…
biography
Thiago Szmrecsányi is a Brazilian visual artist primarily working as a sculptor and in social interactions. Thiago has been living in NY since 1994. He holds a BA from Hunter College and is the recipient of the Artists Space Independent Project Grant for his curatorial work insert produced for the Cuchifritos Gallery and the Essex Street Market.
Recent exhibits include: Território Transitório at Sé Galeria, São Paulo, 2015 (solo), Jamaica Flux 2016, Colosseum Mall and Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, 2016 (catalogue), ART&COM Re-location, Emma Thomas Gallery, Lower East Side/NY, 2016-17: and SP Arte 2017 at Emma Tomas Epicentro Jardins, São Paulo, 2017 Collective Bargain, Art in Odd Places, 14th Street, 2017; (C)art, Rufus King Museum, Jamaica, Queens, 2018, Playthings and Performing Objects, Art Gallery Staten Island College, 2019 (catalogue): Animated Objects and Resistant Bodies, Center for the Humanities, Martin Segal Theatre, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 2019.
Thiago also designs sets and spaces for performance and works collaboratively. His design was shown at Chashama 461 Gallery, Harlem, The Flamboyan Theater at The Clemente Cultural Center, LES, The Connelly Theater, and at Hostos Theater. As an exhibition designer he has produced shows for the Henry Street settlement, the Hostos Center for Arts and Culture, and others.