Josh Smith Reflects on Mortality in New Grim Reaper Sculpture

American artist Josh Smith has worked with Case Studyo on a new ceramic sculptured entitled IN THE DARKEST DESPAIR A SPARK OF HOPE LIES WITHIN US.

Based in New York City, Smith first rose to prominence in the 2000s through vibrant paintings that incorporated his own name as both a signature and conceptual framework to conflate the boundaries between authorship and artistic production. Over the past two decades, Smith has veered more towards abstraction, taking recognizable motifs — fish, skeletons, trees — and distorting their image in a way to emphasize and celebrate the act of painting, rather than the usual pursuit for perfection.

In Smith's latest edition, he casts the grim reaper in white porcelain with hand-painted black embellishments that spell out the artist's name. The sculpture stands as a bleak reminder of our shared mortality, simultaneously urging onlookers to find beauty in everyday moments, despite the uncertainties that life throws. “Don’t fear the reaper," Smith says.

Limited to an edition of 25, plus four artist proofs, IN THE DARKEST DESPAIR A SPARK OF HOPE LIES WITHIN US measures 11 x 5.9 x 3.9 inches, comes signed and numbered in a screen-printed collectors box, and is available to purchase via Case Studyo.

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Josh Smith Reflects on Mortality in New Grim Reaper Sculpture

Josh Smith Reflects on Mortality in New Grim Reaper Sculpture

Josh Smith Reflects on Mortality in New Grim Reaper Sculpture

Josh Smith Reflects on Mortality in New Grim Reaper Sculpture

Josh Smith Reflects on Mortality in New Grim Reaper Sculpture