Art Portfolio

Clio Smith, who lives and works in New York City, is focused on portraying intimacy and vulnerability. She paints vibrant, colorful still lifes of seemingly mundane, overlooked elements in different households. She focuses on showing scenes of homes in various countries, integrating evolving technology, tradition, and culture. Her works reveal behaviors and personalities of the homeowners that are often hidden from the public sphere. Clio’s art is informed by her own multicultural upbringing and journey to understand different lifestyles and cultural heritage. 

For example “American Kitchen” presents stacks of pots, pans, and kitchen equipment atop a large stove. The amount of items, some which are identical, renders the stove unable to be even used, hinting at the homeowner’s relationship with cooking and consumption. Whereas “My Chinese Grandma’s Kitchen” shows a primitive yet tidy sink space, the many appliances stored on the large stove in the first painting are underutilized. This stove is a luxury to some cultures, but an expectation, often taken for granted, in a modern American home.