Arteles Catalogue 2023-2020

Silence Awareness Existence program / FEBRUARY 2023
Alli Smith
USA
www.allismyth.com
About
I'm Alli Smith, also known as Alli’s Myth!
I am a multidisciplinary artist with a strong affinity for painting;
playing with my sense of humor and searching for ways to
adequately express my existential dread simultaneously.
I utilize playful mark making, a vibrant color palette, and I
use a recurring motif of what I consider to be cyclops-feline
creatures to drive the narratives in my artworks. These
cyclopi, alongside other distorted figures, serve as tools of
transformation and emotional catharsis; turning parts of my
life that are confusing, painful, or embarrassing into a cast
of characters experiencing these same feelings amongst
themselves and with each other. The specifics of these
narratives are often murky; intentionally so that my audience
can project their own feelings onto a given piece. I find
that what is not being said is just as important as what is.
Ultimately, through my work I aim to create a contradictory
feeling of lightheartedness and sorrowfulness.
With Love, Cyclops
My primary project at Arteles was a costumed performance,
“Cyclops Sends Her Love”. Out of canvas and acrylic paint I
created a mask, gloves, and pants with a tail included; made
to wear. Originally this was going to be the extent of the
project, alongside documentation of me wearing it outdoors.
Separately, I realized I wanted to create a way of saying
goodbye to everyone at Arteles, other than just saying it. I
had the thought of using felt to cut out hearts with cyclops
faces drawn on them, and give one to everyone.
During an evening meditation session I realized my costume
and my goodbye could work together, and thus the cyclops
sent her love! I called all willing participants to come together
outside, and from the shed I emerged with a bag in tow;
handing it off to Katy to grab a felt heart from and pass around
for everyone to do the same. They were made to keep.
As some Arteles residents left for their own reasons, saying
goodbye in their own ways, I knew it was important for me
to say goodbye in my own way; a tangible way to show my
appreciation to everyone I met.
I wanted “Cyclops Sends Her Love” to be a means of
bringing us together in a humorous yet sweet way, kind of
the antithesis of going quietly into the night. Its goal was to
reflect how I feel about my time spent at Arteles- grateful and
abundant in love!