Matt Smith – Hove Gallery

Matt Smith

Hove Museum of Creativity Until 20 February 2023 Matt Smith: Who owns history?

A ceramicist and textile artist he is best known for his parianware forms. Much of Smith’s work explores the representation of marginalised histories, giving a voice to those hidden and silenced. He often creates works in response to museum collections. Often revealing the view of history created by those with authority and invites reflection on alternative interpretations such as those of people of colour, LGBTQ+, those less able and women.

The exhibition Matt Smith: Who Owns History? contains some of Smith’s unpicked and restitched textiles and several of his uncanny ceramic forms. Many of the latter have his recurring motif of coneheads or eggheads which cause viewers to consider who has a voice and who does not. Surreal assemblages of teapot spouts and jelly moulds unsettle and challenge viewers’ perceptions of the norm. Conehead geishas with Pearls Photo: Matt Smith

EP exclusive interview

You mention that you previously lived in Hove. What memories do you have of the Gallery?

I moved to Hove after graduating in Ceramics from the University of Westminster (Harrow) in 2006 and lived there until 2016 when I was offered a Professorship in Ceramics at Konstfack University in Stockholm.

In addition to being a regular visitor to Hove Museum, I was fortunate to have my work shown there and cocurate an exhibition Precious with good friend and former curator at Hove Museum. Polly Harknett. As a maker, I was drawn to Hove Museum's really strong collection of contemporary craft as well as its selection of historic ceramics.

Photo: Matt Smith by Sylvain Deleu

Matt Smith Photo: Per Kristiansen

La Mennina Photo: Matt Smith

Where did you go to college?

It’s been circuitous. I originally did a BSc in Business Studies at Aston University and then, while working at the V&A did an MA in Museum Studies. It was only in my thirties that I started working with clay – studying first at the amazing City Lit and then converting it into a BA at The University of Westminster/Harrow. Later on, I gained a practice-based PhD from the University of Brighton.

Your work has featured in many international shows - which are been the most important?

That’s a tough question. Collect is always an annual highlight: in addition to it being a busy fair, it’s also a great place to catch up with people. This year I went to Expo Chicago with Cynthia Corbett Gallery for the first time and found the level of engagement amongst the audience was really impressive.

How would you describe the development of your work?

The work seems to progress in steps. I work a lot with museum collections and make interventions which recontextualise them. This often requires me to work in new ways or with new materials. Therefore, the work often develops in response to these external influences.

Who has had the greatest influence on your work?

The work of Fred Wilson has had a profound effect on me and is probably the main reason that I became an artist. He is best known for Mining the Museum, a series of interventions foregrounding African American experience through the repositioning of objects at the Maryland Historical Society. I’m also influenced by the work of Glenn Ligon and Hans Haacke.

How do you go about constructing the work?

Most of my work is slip cast and assembled before firing. Once the required parts have been cast, and while they are still relatively damp, they are scored and dampened before joining. There is often a trade-off between the clay being damp enough to join and firm enough to support itself. When working with parian, there is often quite a bit of propping in the kiln to help support the work during firing as it is liable to slumping.

Recently, I have been press moulding plates for the exhibition at the Pitt Rivers Museum and occasionally throw domestic ware which we use at home.