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SANCTUARY

February to April 2024

Klaus by Nienkämper, Toronto 

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'Sanctuary' encapsulates the nurturing bond between parent and child, serving as an expression of the protective and caring embrace that fosters growth and security. In her exploration of feminist care ethics, Smith highlights the critical role of tenderness and empathy in human development. The recent pandemic has underscored the invaluable contribution of caregiving individuals and sectors to societal well-being and survival, revealing that true safety lies not in isolation, but from the spaces where we can embrace each other.

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“Sanctuary” Sculpture by Sharl G. Smith. Composed of 924 polished stainless-steel beads, weighing approximately 600lbs using traditional bead-stitching method.

Photo Credits

Images 1+2: Blaise Hayward

Images 3+4: Sharl G. Smith

Following the Light on the Surface - A Poem by Roshan James, Inspired by the Works of Sharl G. Smith
07:50

Following the Light on the Surface - A Poem by Roshan James, Inspired by the Works of Sharl G. Smith

Following the Light on the Surface Written and performed by Roshan James Commissioned by UWAG and the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery in response to work by Sharl G. Smith. Featured Artworks: Sharl G. Smith Shelter III (Hugs), 2023 Stainless steel spheres, stainless steel wire rope Collection of the artist. Sharl G. Smith Inheritance II, 2022 Variegated blood red glass beads, thread Collection of the artist. Sharl G. Smith Oh Great Mother!, 2023 Brass spheres, stainless steel cable Collection of the artist. Sharl G. Smith Embrace I, 2023 Blown glass spheres, brass spheres, macrame rope Collection of the artist. Sharl G. Smith Touch, 2023 Blown glass spheres, brass spheres, macrame rope Collection of the artist. Sharl G. Smith Embrace II, 2023 Stainless steel spheres, stainless steel wire rope Collection of the artist. Sharl G. Smith: https://www.sundropsstudio.com/ Roshan James: https://www.roshanjames.com/
Shelter II: an improvisation
04:31

Shelter II: an improvisation

Presented by Good Company Productions - performed in front of the beautiful beadwork sculpture Shelter II by Sharl G. Smith, James Reesor and Kathryn Ladano improvise a musical piece by the same name, inspired by Sharl's artwork. Filmed live at the University of Waterloo Art Gallery (UWAG) on the last day of Shelter II's exhibition. The following is from UWAG: Shelter II is a large-scale beaded sculpture that ambitiously expands on the artist’s beadwork practice. Over the last two years, Smith has radically up-scaled her process applying weaving techniques employed in glass bead-stitching to create a sculpture incorporating hundreds of grapefruit-sized mirror polished stainless steel beads tensioned together using steel cable. The end result is a gargantuan beadwork that has immense physical presence and a surface that slyly reflects and distorts its surroundings. While building on the artist’s training in architecture, Shelter II is also a rebuke to the dismissal of beading as “women’s work” within the context of a patriarchal Western art history rather than as a viable and transgressive art form in its own right. See more on the piece here: uwag.uwaterloo.ca/exhibition/shelter-ii -- Produced by Amit Mehta DOP/Sound: Amit Mehta Second Camera: Chelsea Scherer CRT feedback recorded live at Good Company HQ by Amit Mehta Musicians: James Reesor (Synthesizers) Kathryn Ladano (Bass Clarinet) Special thanks to: Sharl G. Smith Sarah Kernohan Ivan Jurakic Follow the artists for more: www.sundropsstudio.com www.instagram.com/jim_ree www.kathrynladano.com
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