Residency Dates: April 13-19, 2022
Studio H Canada International Art Residency is thrilled to welcome Robi Smith, a visual artist from Vancouver, BC. Her mixed media paintings reflect her passion for marine and aquatic ecosystems and concerns about the impacts of human activities on forest, river and ocean life.
Currently, Robi is working on a new body of work that maps arteries carrying water, oxygen, and other forms of data through real and imagined landscapes. During her residency at Studio H, she will extend this series to explore how life-giving forces are impacted by the dual calamities of climate change and war.
(Left) Tangle, Charcoal and pastel on paper, 11″ x 14″
(Center) Life support system 7, Acrylic on wood panel, 6″ x 12″
(Right) Life support system 5, Acrylic on canvas 9″ x 12″
About Robi
Robi holds a Master of Education in Arts for Social Change from Simon Fraser University. Her artwork has been exhibited in public and commercial galleries in Canada and the United States. Major commissions include original artwork for the new BC Children’s Hospital Teck Acute Care Centre and Vancity Credit Union.
Many of Robi’s projects are rooted in community-engagement. In 2020, she was an artist mentor in the Futures/FORWARD program with the International Centre for Arts for Social Change. She was also selected by the Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition as one of five artists from across Canada to create large-scale community-engaged artworks that fed into Canada’s National Ocean Literacy Strategy. From 2014 – 2019, Robi was artist-in-residence with the City of Maple Ridge, where she worked with more than 250 residents to create a series of illuminated lantern installations in a City park. From 2016-2018, she collaborated with a team of interdisciplinary artists and community members to create “Birds on Parade” which launched the Vancouver Bird Festival and opened the International Ornithological Congress.
You can learn more about Robi and her work at http://robismith.com or follow her on Instagram @robismithart.