NEWS RELEASE
MONIGRAM COFFEE ROASTERS
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Monigram Coffee Roasters is pleased to announce Cambridge artist Andrew James Smith commenced his display of Smarks on March 15, which will continue until April 12.
The show is his first return to the venue since his 2017 exhibition, "The Deep Now".
The café is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Sundays starting at 9 a.m.)
It is at 16 Ainslie St. S. in Cambridge (Galt).
Over a decade, Monigram’s has showcased solo shows of local artists and other cultural events.
The show consists of 17 priceless flatworks, including ink drawings, watercolours and vector graphics. Some works date back 50 years; half a dozen are on his own handmade paper.
Smith engineered the 256 Smarks by combining opposing colour blends with his system of cuneiform-like glyphs. (He coined the term ‘Smarks’ by misplacing the space in ‘Andrew’s marks’).
A glass case houses recent maquettes that reveal his Smarks arranged on shapes that fold into a cube. In conclusion, he wrapped them around a three-dimensional shape, showing how to “wallpaper the Big Bang”.
As with a dozen international group shows in the last seven years, Smith focuses on straight lines. He captures the “essence before existence” by depicting a state when there was no time for curves. Despite utilizing digital media, his “look” might be categorized as “rustic modern”.
Smith has exhibited internationally, taught at major educational institutions, received numerous grants and awards, attracted attention from print and electronic media, been represented by prominent private galleries, and acquired by vital public collections. He is currently self-represented.
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