Described as illusory and uncanny, Sally Smart’s work is forever finding new meaning. A maze of texture, symbols and subject, she employs collage as a metaphor for the theoretical dismantling and deconstruction of ideas around history, identity and gender politics.

In the punny ‘Beeology’, Smart fuses an insect with a woman. There is something of the feminist collage artist Hannah Hoch here, as well as Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’. Alongside these notions, sits the fantastical: Smart’s part bee, part woman is no great hero; but rather the silhouette of something far more enigmatic. The fruit of cutting, arranging and stitching, ‘Beeology’ is at once about female embodiment and the creation (or collaging) of identity.

Smart is a highly esteemed contemporary artist whose work has been exhibited throughout Australia and internationally, including in public galleries. She was included in the National Gallery of Australias major exhibition Know My Name and has been a Trustee of the Council of Trustees, National Gallery of Victoria; a board member of the National Association of the Visual Arts and is a Vice-Chancellor’s Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne.

For collectors of important contemporary art and those interested in feminism, ‘Beeology’ is a rewarding find.

Sally SMART (1960 - )
'Beeology' 2010
etching on paper; etching with aquatint and collage elements
Edition of 35
Image Size: 76 x 56 cm
Dimensions: 76 x 56 cm
Signed: signed, titled, dated and editioned verso
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Condition: Very Good. Image is good, there is minor discolouration in margin

© Sally Smart / Copyright Agency 2023