Josh Smith (b. 1976)

Using the letters of his own name as a motif template, Josh Smith's paintings eschew subject matter for a barrage of ironic and shameless autographs. Through this unorthodox approach, Smith deprives his canvases of both representational and abstract tradition to directly confront the function of painting itself. Working on stretched fabric or board often collaged with photocopies and posters, Smith questions concepts of authenticity, critical hierarchy, and the mythology of the artist.