Whitney Lewis-Smith Joins Bau-Xi Gallery
Using 8 X 10 glass plate negatives, Lewis-Smith documents her highly detailed set constructions exploring the nuanced ways plants, animals, and people interact within the context of contemporary globalization. Having previously worked in ecological fieldwork, her staged tableaus are layered with scientific, historic, and cultural chronicles.
Whitney Lewis-Smith joins Bau-Xi's esteemed stable that includes photographers such as Michael Wolf, Barbara Cole, Jeffrey Milstein, and Cara Barer, who each champion the medium in their own unique way.
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1985, Whitney Lewis-Smith completed her Diploma in Photography at The School of Photographic Arts, Ottawa, in 2011.
In 2021, the artist completed the inaugural residency at Nimmo Bay Lodge, Great Bear Rainforest, Port McNeill, British Columbia. While residing at Nimmo Bay Lodge, Lewis-Smith engaged with the surrounding rainforest, carefully sourcing native flora found within the untouched old-growth ecosystem for her resulting photographs, large-scale cyanotypes, and site-specific installation.
Lewis-Smith has completed other residencies including Cobertizo International Resident by Invitation, Jilotepex, Mexico (2020); Production Residency in colour Heliogravure, Zopilote Inc., Mexico City, Mexico (2019); Mexico City Arts Residency, Mexico City, Mexico (2018); and Arquetopia Foundation for the Artist Residency, Puebla, Mexico (2014).
Works by the artist have been included in group exhibitions at Casa Versalles Cultureal Centre, Mexico City, Mexico (2021); The Embassy of Canada, Washington, DC (2020); City Hall Art Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario (2019); National Arts Centre, Ottawa, Ontario (2014, 2012); among others.
Works by the artist can be found in collections such as Global Affairs Canada, City of Ottawa Public Art Collection, The Beaverbrook Art Gallery, SUMMA Contemporary Art Fair Permanent Acquisitions, Maison Simons, the private collection of Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, among others.
Whitney Lewis-Smith has been represented by Bau-Xi Gallery since 2022.