Glenn 'Glenno' Smith solo art show

Glenn “Glenno” Smith is a fine-line illustrator and designer by trade, aspiring to dancing on the fringes of the fine arts world, distracted from careerist-ambition by collaboration and curating art festivals/group shows and dabbling in lino and screen printing. He has been the organiser of the Bein’ Narly art festivals and group show offshoots for the last decade. He also plays in 3 bands and loves to blur the edges of the audio and visual worlds.

Glenno has recently had some art shows in Japan as well as a collaborative run of shows and projects with Reg Mombassa. In his capacity as an Art Mercenary, he has produced illustrative designs for a multitude of local / international bands – pet and personal portraiture – lino-prints for Mambo – commercial design for the Japanese craft beer world and anything asked of him (within reason). In between all this rent-paying stuff, he manages to squeeze in the odd bit of personal work. “Personal work” is code for the sort of art-making freelance artists would prefer to be spending time on. Paid or un-paid. This exhibition represents 5-10 years of this “art without purpose” or “work without invoice.” It is Sydney after all – a place that prefers sport to culture and real estate investment to feeling at home.

This collection of art – titled “Life Before Chicken Salt” has a tendency to follow it’s narratives into obsession or subversion, depending on the subject matter – echidna, octopus, the cat, cat-fish, fish, rock n roll, cults and the idea of Japan.

Gina, Anna and The Shop Gallery, Rickie at Wombat Grafx, Pamela and Ross at Griffith Studio and Graphic Workshop, Young Henrys, Reg Mombassa, Rogue Pop-up gallery – without these people, this exhibition would be less than.