Jonathan Grossmalerman Series

As much as we hate to admit it, the art world is trendy. It embraces one fad after another, giving birth, with a little hype from their galleries, to self-proclaimed superstar artists. Unfortunately, like child actors finding success early in their careers only to end up as tabloid centerfolds with police records and multiple stints in drug rehab, these artists quickly discover that their talent was merely the flavor-of-the-moment.

At the top of their game, these artists are seemingly invincible, able to create in any medium without their work being questioned. They are afforded opportunities because of art world hype molded by its often herd mentality. But sadly, the results of this temporary fame and recognition take their toll.

Guy Richards Smit's creation Jonathan Grossmalerman has experienced these harsh realities of the art world. At the height of his young career he had success making "big paintings," winning the support and promotional skills of a hot gallery, and inflating his basically male chauvinist ego. He has just published a book "Grossmalerman on Grossmalerman," created a feature film, and finished his first album of pop-style songs. With a head bloated from fame and an insatiable need for more, the next step for Jonathan is obvious: stand-up comedy.

In a series of five video works by Guy Richards Smit, we experience Grossmalerman, a larger than life persona played by Smit, ruminating on his denial-filled demise. As the spotlight moves on to the next artworld trend, we see him self-destruct before our eyes, blaming everyone but himself for his misfortunes. Smit's series of work becomes a sad commentary on the realities of the art world that treats artists as if they were disposable.

About the Artist

Guy Richards Smit attended an exchange program at Rietveldt Academia in Amsterdam, received a BFA from Parsons School of Design, received a MFA from Rutgers, and went on to attend a summer program at The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. His work has been included in the exhibitions: The Ballad of Bad Orpheus, Roebling Hall, Brooklyn, NY; I'm Mean Because I Like You, Sara Meltzer, New York, NY; 2000 Havana Biennial: Official Video Selection, Havana, Cuba; Guy Richards Smit, Roebling Hall, Brooklyn, NY; Nylon Gallery, London, England; Four From Brooklyn, Legion Arts, Cedar Rapids, IA; Useful Indiscretions: Works on Paper, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Barrington, MA; Tomorrow Rare Gallery, New York, NY; Thicket Gallery, New York, NY; Out of Order, Roebling Hall, Brooklyn, NY; Cutting the Edge: New Film and Video, Grand Central Art Center, Santa Ana, CA; I'm the Boss of Myself, Sara Meltzer, New York, NY; I'm A Virgin, The Waiting Room, Wolverhampton, UK; Zones of Risibility, Rotunda Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; Blueprint, Gallery Spark, New York, NY; BOWIE, Rupert Goldworthy Gallery, New York, NY; Not Four Wall, The Anchorage, New York, NY; More Elvis Than Elvis, Video Room Festival, New York, NY; HOST, Tramway, Glasgow, UK; Super Freaks: Post Pop and the New Generation Part 1 - Trash, Greene Naftali, New York, NY; Double Life, The Waiting Room, Wolverhapton, UK; WhimSiecle, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy; A Home Show: Sitting Up Erect or Reclining, Berlin, Germany; Big Blue, Berlin, Germany; Don't Try This At Home, The Knitting Factory, New York, NY; Unfinished Gallery Inaugural Show, Unfinished Gallery, New York, NY; Album 2, Curated by Sebastian Bremer, New York, NY; Thicket on the Lamb, Thicket Gallery, New York, NY; Album, Curated by Sebastian Bremer, New York, NY; and 10 New York Artists, Nova Zemia Gallery, Den Bosch, The Netherlands.