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Ming Smith: Evidence
20 May - 26 June 2021

Ming Smith: Evidence

Past exhibition
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  • Works
  • Installation Views
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Overview
Ming Smith: Evidence

Nicola Vassell Gallery is pleased to present Ming Smith: Evidence, its inaugural exhibition and the first presentation by the artist in New York in over four years. 

Evidence features a combination of rare, vintage silver gelatin and never-before-exhibited archival prints, spanning the arc of Smith's fifty-year career. The assembled pictures exemplify the artist's keen, enduring eye and her use of the photographic medium to depict charged atmospheres and surreal states with a cast of evocative landscapes, blurred silhouettes, dynamic street scenes and revered cultural figures including, Brassaï, Grace Jones and Sun Ra.

 

Smith's lyrical narratives tease out the complex emotions and thoughts deeply embedded in the minds and environments of her subjects. In engaging the world around her, she makes perceptible much of the unseen psychological and social complexities that lurk beneath the surface. Her practice is a tale of several decades spent examining transitory occurrence-intervals at which figures blur, atmospheres alter, vistas haunt, souls whir, and opposites engage in allied work. Smith's photographic approach is both scientific and celestial, and experimentation and adventure mark her fascination with detail as it stretches across form and mood. Her dedication to music, dance, and theater underlines the synergistic excellence that characterizes her secondary, if metaphoric, occupations as anthropologist, historian, and poet. Ultimately, Smith's work depicts the beauty of Black life and its struggle for visibility, over time, in the wider cultural landscape. 

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Works
  • Ming Smith, Self-Portrait as Josephine (New York), 1986
    Ming Smith, Self-Portrait as Josephine (New York), 1986
  • Ming Smith, Hakone, Japan, 1991
    Ming Smith, Hakone, Japan, 1991
  • Ming Smith, The Window Overlooking Wheatland Street Was My First Dreaming Place (Columbus, Ohio), 1979
    Ming Smith, The Window Overlooking Wheatland Street Was My First Dreaming Place (Columbus, Ohio), 1979
  • Ming Smith, Aunt Ruth (Columbus, Ohio), 1979
    Ming Smith, Aunt Ruth (Columbus, Ohio), 1979
  • Ming Smith, Dakar Roadside with Figures (Senegal), 1972
    Ming Smith, Dakar Roadside with Figures (Senegal), 1972
  • Ming Smith, Cornfields (Columbus, Ohio), 1973
    Ming Smith, Cornfields (Columbus, Ohio), 1973
  • Ming Smith, Luxembourg Gardens (Paris), 1974
    Ming Smith, Luxembourg Gardens (Paris), 1974
  • Ming Smith, Curiosities (Brooklyn), 1976
    Ming Smith, Curiosities (Brooklyn), 1976
  • Ming Smith, Ever-So-Hip Kiddies (Setùbal, Portugal), 1979
    Ming Smith, Ever-So-Hip Kiddies (Setùbal, Portugal), 1979
  • Ming Smith, Kites Inside (Columbus, Ohio), 1972
    Ming Smith, Kites Inside (Columbus, Ohio), 1972
  • Ming Smith, Grace Jones, Studio 54 (New York), 1970's
    Ming Smith, Grace Jones, Studio 54 (New York), 1970's
  • Ming Smith, Prelude to Middle Passage (Île de Gorée, Senegal), 1972
    Ming Smith, Prelude to Middle Passage (Île de Gorée, Senegal), 1972
  • Ming Smith, Another Place and Time (Harlem, New York), 1973
    Ming Smith, Another Place and Time (Harlem, New York), 1973
  • Ming Smith, God, Mary, Jesus (Pittsburgh), 1991
    Ming Smith, God, Mary, Jesus (Pittsburgh), 1991
  • Ming Smith, August Blues (Harlem, New York), 1991
    Ming Smith, August Blues (Harlem, New York), 1991
  • Ming Smith, Eiffel Tower — Bicentennial, Paris, 1989
    Ming Smith, Eiffel Tower — Bicentennial, Paris, 1989
  • Ming Smith, Brown-Skinned Model and Steeple (New York), 1971
    Ming Smith, Brown-Skinned Model and Steeple (New York), 1971
  • Ming Smith, Million Youth March (Harlem, New York), 1998
    Ming Smith, Million Youth March (Harlem, New York), 1998
  • Ming Smith, Million Youth March, Raised Fists (Harlem, New York), 1998
    Ming Smith, Million Youth March, Raised Fists (Harlem, New York), 1998
  • Ming Smith, Amen Corner Sisters (Harlem, New York), 1976
    Ming Smith, Amen Corner Sisters (Harlem, New York), 1976
  • Ming Smith, Steel Mill (August Moon Series)
    Ming Smith, Steel Mill (August Moon Series)
  • Ming Smith, America Seen Through Stars and Stripes (New York), 1976
    Ming Smith, America Seen Through Stars and Stripes (New York), 1976
  • Ming Smith, Female Nude (New York), 1977
    Ming Smith, Female Nude (New York), 1977
  • Ming Smith, Male Nude (New York), 1977
    Ming Smith, Male Nude (New York), 1977
  • Ming Smith, Sun Ra Space II (New York), 1978
    Ming Smith, Sun Ra Space II (New York), 1978
  • Ming Smith, Sun Ra Space I (New York), 1978
    Ming Smith, Sun Ra Space I (New York), 1978
  • Ming Smith, Red Hot Jazz, 1979
    Ming Smith, Red Hot Jazz, 1979
  • Ming Smith, Acid Rain (“Mercy Mercy Me,” Marvin Gaye), ca. 1977
    Ming Smith, Acid Rain (“Mercy Mercy Me,” Marvin Gaye), ca. 1977
  • Ming Smith, Flamingo Fandango (West Berlin) (painted), 1988
    Ming Smith, Flamingo Fandango (West Berlin) (painted), 1988
  • Ming Smith, My Father's Tears (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico), 1977
    Ming Smith, My Father's Tears (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico), 1977
  • Ming Smith, Hill District (August Moon Series), 1991
    Ming Smith, Hill District (August Moon Series), 1991
  • Ming Smith, American Dream (New York), 1973
    Ming Smith, American Dream (New York), 1973
  • Ming Smith, Pas de Deux (Brooklyn), 1976
    Ming Smith, Pas de Deux (Brooklyn), 1976
  • Ming Smith, Roxbury Interior (Boston, MA), 1978
    Ming Smith, Roxbury Interior (Boston, MA), 1978
  • Ming Smith, Birds Beyond Trafalgar (London), 1980
    Ming Smith, Birds Beyond Trafalgar (London), 1980
  • Ming Smith, Two by Young Ooloong (Columbus, Ohio), 1975
    Ming Smith, Two by Young Ooloong (Columbus, Ohio), 1975
  • Ming Smith, Nuns on the Square (August Moon Series), 1991
    Ming Smith, Nuns on the Square (August Moon Series), 1991
  • Ming Smith, West Indian Day Parade (Brooklyn, New York), 1972
    Ming Smith, West Indian Day Parade (Brooklyn, New York), 1972
  • Ming Smith, Man Strolling (Coney Island Series), 1976
    Ming Smith, Man Strolling (Coney Island Series), 1976
  • Ming Smith, Circular Breathing, 1980
    Ming Smith, Circular Breathing, 1980
  • Ming Smith, Goghing with Darkness and Light (Singen, Germany), 1989
    Ming Smith, Goghing with Darkness and Light (Singen, Germany), 1989
  • Ming Smith, Star of Hope, 1978
    Ming Smith, Star of Hope, 1978
  • Ming Smith, Mother and Child, 1977
    Ming Smith, Mother and Child, 1977
  • Ming Smith, Amen in Calico and Yellow Dotted Dress (Berkley Lady In Calico Dress), 1979
    Ming Smith, Amen in Calico and Yellow Dotted Dress (Berkley Lady In Calico Dress), 1979
  • Ming Smith, Brassai, 1979
    Ming Smith, Brassai, 1979
  • Ming Smith, Pas De Deux (Coney Island, NY), 1976
    Ming Smith, Pas De Deux (Coney Island, NY), 1976
Close
Installation Views
  • Dsc 1095
  • Dsc 1086
  • Dsc 1104
  • Dsc 1116
  • Dsc 1101
  • Dsc 1096
  • Dsc 1122
  • Dsc 1141
  • Dsc 1128
  • Dsc 1137
  • Dsc 1084
  • Dsc 1072
  • Dsc 1055
  • Dsc 1066
  • Dsc 1059
  • Dsc 1054
  • Dsc 1067
  • Dsc 1073
  • Dsc 1078
  • Dsc 1079
  • Dsc 1125
Close
Press
  • Ming Smith, Sun Ra Space II (New York), 1978

    Ming Smith - Nicola Vassell

    Chloe Wyma, Artforum, September 1, 2021
  • Nicola Vassell Gallery

    The Most Shocking Shifts of the Post-Pandemic Art World

    Kelly Crow, The Wall Street Journal, July 6, 2021
  • America Seen Through Stars and Stripes (New York), 1976

    3 Gallery Shows to See Right Now

    Martha Schwendener, The New York Times, June 23, 2021
  • America Seen Through Stars and Stripes (New York), 1976

    Stars and Symbols: Ming Smith At Nicola Vassell Gallery

    Alexander R. Bigman, Art in America, June 23, 2021
  • Grace Jones, Studio 54 (New York), 1970s

    Electric Images: Ming Smith’s Transcendent Photography

    Rachell Morillo, Hyperallergic, June 22, 2021
  • West Indian Day Parade (Brooklyn, New York), 1972

    Exhibition Review

    COOPH, June 8, 2021
  • America Seen Through Stars and Stripes (New York), 1976

    Your Concise New York Art Guide for June 2021

    Cassie Packard and Dessane Lopez Cassell, Hyperallergic, June 8, 2021
  • Star of Hope, 1978

    Ming Smith's Lyrical Portrait of Black America

    Miss Rosen, Huck, June 8, 2021
  • Amen Corner Sisters (Harlem, New York), 1976

    Ming Smith Evidence

    TheGuide.Art
  • Prelude to Middle Passage (Île de Gorée, Senegal), 1972

    Ming Smith

    Johanna Fateman, The New Yorker
  • America Seen Through Stars and Stripes (New York), 1976

    Dream-like states: Ming Smith's black and white photographs - in pictures

    The Guardian, May 23, 2021
  • Grace Jones, Studio 54 (New York) 1970's

    Nicola Vassell Gallery's inaugural exhibition spans Ming Smith's 50-year-career

    Marigold Warner, British Journal of Photography, May 20, 2021
  • Man Strolling (Coney Island Series), 1976

    Ming Smith Brings Studio 54 Nostalgia to Nicola Vassell Gallery

    Isiah Magsino, W Magazine, May 20, 2021
  • Mother and Child, 1977

    Ming Smith: Evidence Brings the Photographer's Perfect Ethereal Moments to a New Chelsea Gallery

    Madison Reid, Vanity Fair, May 20, 2021
  • Self-Portrait as Josephine, New York, 1986, 1986

    On Ming Smith: A Life of Magical Thinking

    Nicola Vassell, Gagosian Magazine, March 3, 2021
  • Self Portrait

    Ming Smith’s Pioneering Excavations of Black Femininity

    Yxta Maya Murray, The New Yorker, September 23, 2020
News
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    Ming Smith

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