Mickey Smith

Mickey Smith (b.1972 Minnesota, USA) is an award winning conceptual photographer based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
 

Smith’s photography is a striking and poignant reflection of contemporary times through her documentation of simple, provocative titles found on library shelves around the world, and most recently in Aotearoa’s libraries.
 

Smith’s work continuously explores the state of entropy within libraries, as we witness information systems shift, digitize and collections become deaccessioned. Her artworks explore the life cycles of publications and book collections, and the dedicated labour of those who care for them.

The artist’s playful capturing of words and scale transcend the spines on which they appear to create conceptual, anthropological works, which document significant moments in time.

"With wit and an ironically dispassionate lens, Smith’s focus reaches far beyond the aisles and shelves of your local library… By focusing on the minutiae of the magazine stacks, and blowing them up, Smith heralds the benefits of open minds and a democratic tradition.” – D. Abbot,  Art New Zealand
 

Smith holds a BA in Photography from Minnesota State University, USA (1994) and a Diploma in Jewellery Design from Hungry Creek Art & Craft School, Aotearoa (2019).

Her works are held in collections including the Museum of Modern Art Library, New York, USA; The British Library, London, UK;  The Center for Photography at Woodstock, New York, USA and The National Library of New Zealand, Aotearoa New Zealand.

In 2024 Smith presented her largest-to-date public exhibition at the Law Warschaw Gallery, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. The exhibition features acclaimed projects VOLUME, Denudation, and As You Will: Carnegie Libraries of the South Pacific and will travel through 2024 – 2025 to the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota, USA, and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

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