Aline Smithson is an exhibiting artist with Lydia Panas.
Artists Statement on Reciprocity
At the beginning of the 2020 quarantine, Lydia Panas and Aline Smithson began a visual conversation as part of a group project that facilitated pairs of photographers in dialogue. The artists both have a long legacy in portraiture and were excited by the potential of their exchange. They discovered many overlapping ideas and threads that ran through their work: womanhood, motherhood, nurturing with eyes wide open. Both create emotional images and don’t back away from deep seeing. The result has been a rich pairing of aesthetics, offering a chance for insights into each other’s archives and visual histories. This thread has bonded them in a special way. Surprised by the parallels in each another’s image making, they are grateful for one another’s strength and sense of beauty. There exists a generosity in the exchange that has been greatly needed throughout 2021. And more importantly, a profound connection with another photographer.
Artist Bio
Aline Smithson is a visual artist, educator, and editor based in Los Angeles. She has exhibited widely including over 40 solo shows and her photographs have been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and PDN. In 2007, Smithson founded the photography journal, LENSCRATCH, and has been teaching at the Los Angeles Center of Photography since 2001. In 2016, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum commissioned a series of portraits for the Faces of Our Planet Exhibition and in 2018 and 2019, Smithson exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
© Aline Smithson