Smart Barnett

Smart Barnett is an artist and designer living and working in Manchester. His work sits at the intersection of textiles and digital art. Embroidery is at the core of Smart’s practice and the contrast of this often perceived, traditional technique combined with the imagery and themes within his work can be disarming and provocative. Smart draws inspiration from contemporary image cultures relating to online dating and web/screen based intimacy and how these cultures have expanded the range and familiarity of erotic imagery. He explores what we reveal online yet at the same time conceal. As Smart’s practice develops, his work is becoming more personal and subjective. Leading him to question his own exhibitionist tendencies, obsessions, self image and trauma. Inside the safe, normative space of embroidery, Smart aims to create artworks that are expressive and bold, yet intimate in their dimensions.

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