Sullivan+Strumpf Welcomes Gemma Smith

Gemma Smith is a prominent figure in contemporary painting, with her works extensively collected and featured in major institutional collections across Australia. Her recent achievements include being part of the inaugural collection display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ new Naala Badu building, and notable exhibitions  Living Patterns at the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane (2023), Know My Name at the National Gallery in Canberra (2020), and Wheriko – Brilliant! at the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu in Christchurch (2019).

Smith’s public art projects are equally significant, including Collision and Improvisation at the Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law in Brisbane (2012) and Triple Tangle, the 2018 Foyer Wall Commission at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Her career was comprehensively surveyed in the major exhibition Rhythm Sequence (2019) at UNSW Galleries in Sydney, which subsequently travelled to the QUT Art Museum in Brisbane.

“This is higher play in search of expanded knowledge. Smith has pursued this particular investigation of her resolutely non referential painting for several years. But while her method starts systematically, Smith’s intention is to produce unforeseen results.”

Julie Ewington, for Know My Name (2020) National Gallery of Australia