Photo: Austin Kamenz

Biography

Ryan Smitham (b. 1982) is a sculptor and multimedia artist whose work oscillates between material form and concept, exploring complex and tactile questions of land, conflict, and care. Raised on Treaty 7 in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Smitham roots his practice in sustained engagement with place and context through materials and embodied research. He crafts sculptural installations with spatial precision and considered combinations of organic and industrial materials.  This process traces uneasy meeting points between the natural and the constructed.

Smitham’s sculpture practice has been shaped by years of mentorship and creative inquiry. He holds an MFA in Sculpture from the Pratt Institute in New York, and a BFA and BEd from the University of Lethbridge.  His work has been supported through a variety of influential artist residencies in Alberta and British Columbia, and he has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Canada and the USA.

Artist Statement

My sculptures begin as fissures between concept and material form. Following intuitive sculptural impulses, my work is crafted using materials from both natural and industrial sources. Mediums such as steel, concrete, stone, wood, or found remnants carry the memory of places and contexts integral to each piece. I treat these materials as records of contact and tension, shaped by both human and natural forces. Fusing materiality and form, I reference deep geologic time, manufactured matter, and visual patterns of human and ecological interactions. My sculptures explore how destruction and repair coexist in form, and I am drawn to the complex and fraught negotiations between humanity and environment.