Paul Smith

Paul Smith is a London based artist from Sunderland. His work documents his interest in the lost and the found, what is passing out of memory and what is synthesized as trace in the landscape. Exploring lost places and capturing the essence of a moment of abandonment has been part of his practice since his earliest work, photographing the post-industrial landscape of the North East. More recently he has used these explorations of localities on the verge of returning to unofficial wilderness in dialogue with found material. Working between these two sources has informed a broader turn in his works to consider layerings and cuttings: the process of collage by which territory is shaped into landscape by human action.

Biography
Paul has exhibited widely in the UK. Solo exhibitions include ‘Uncertain Promises: The Unofficial George Eliot Countryside’ at One Paved Court, Richmond and ‘Are You Leaving for the Country?’ at Muse Gallery, London. He was part of the touring Contemporary British Painting Prize in 2016.
Other notable exhibitions include the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (2025), Beep Painting Biennial, Elysium Gallery, Swansea (2024), ‘Wells Art Contemporary 24’, Wells Cathedral (2024), ‘X,’ British Contemporary Painting, Newcastle (2023), ‘Supernature’, The Auxilliary, Middlesbrough (2019), ‘Two Fold’, Oceans Apart, Salford (2019), ‘Small Worlds’ PS Mirabel, Manchester (2018 & 2017), ‘Painting (Now)’ Studio 1 Gallery, London (2017), Griffin Art Prize, London (2015) and Neo Art Prize, Bolton (2015).