Exhibitions

GREGORY ALLEN SMITH: WHAT IS A WEED

Beverly and Sam Ross Gallery (Christian Brothers University) / 650 East Parkway S. February 21, 2020 - April 3, 2020

Gregory Allen Smith

Gregory Allen Smith will present What is a Weed in the main gallery, with a public reception on Friday, February 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The exhibition will run through April 3.

Gregory Allen Smith takes the title of his sculpture exhibit from a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: What is a weed? A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” Using materials that are both conventional and unconventional, often discarded and found, Smith comments on human wastefulness and our relationship with nature. “I like to imagine how our misguided ‘control’ of the planet could affect future evolution,” he says, “and then combine this idea with my love of plants and animals along with pop culture, science fiction, and nostalgia. The colors of the pieces come from natural representations of toxicity, which are vivid and psychedelic. The newer addition of neon and phosphorescent refer back to my youth in the 90’s, when glowing neon and plastic seemed to be in every edgy storefront or new animated television show.”

Smith earned his Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Photography from Middle Tennessee State University In 2006. After moving back to Memphis, he completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Memphis in 2014. Since then, he has held the full-time position of preparator at David Lusk Gallery.