Hell Raiser

Adam Parker Smith

Adam Parker Smith once said, “I feel like so many of my ideas start out as jokes, for better or worse.” He confesses that the subjects of his irreverently funny works are often culled from his fears, longings, obsessions, crushes, and causes of jealousy, though he’s also been known to buy ideas from his friends. Smith works with sculpture, video, assemblage, collage, and what he calls “a mixture of animated and static painting,” or paintings that have a mechanized component. Smith also likes to involve others in the creation of his works. In fact, his best-known work is Thanks (2013), an installation composed of items that he had clandestinely stolen from 77 artists over the course of many studio visits, including sketchbooks, tools, videos, and artworks. (The installation was mounted with Smith’s confession and the artists’ blessings.)