Jawsh Smyth

My art is a quest to unlock creative potential, overcome self doubt, and transform dread and stress into an alchemy of colorful meditations.

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You decide who will appear in Artforum Magazine, take home $25,000, and display their work at The Art of Elysium's Salon!

Voting for the Top 20 ends Thursday the 14th of May at 7PM PDT

What is The People's Artist?

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What is your favorite type of art to create?

I love combining figurative abstraction with surreal narratives using paint, print, collage, sculpture, and installation. My work centers around "Melting Man," a recurring alter ego that is a versatile vehicle for introspection, and a symbolic representation of a world growing warmer and more unstable. With Melting Man as both subject and object, I can experiment freely and let go of perfection, while also processing serious issues.

Where do you find inspiration?

I draw inspiration from nature, biology, music, and street art, as well as the existential challenges we face as a species. As a parent, I am concerned about the future and our planet. I feel compelled to create art that relates to global crises like mental health, digital overload, and climate change. Amidst growing geopolitical instability, AI disruption, and environmental harm, I utilize Melting Man to highlight, critique, or simply react to this era of flux and uncertainty.

What would you do with $25,000?

This $25,000 prize would be life-changing. For years, I squeezed art into the cracks of spare time between a demanding job and family responsibilities, only fully committing to my art practice at age 40. This transformative funding would allow me to rent an actual studio space, create ambitious projects, such as a 12-foot Melting Man installation, and pursue my dream of showing at the Whitney, MOCA, or Venice Biennale.


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