David Smalling's Second Solo Show with Templon Opens in Brussels on 12 November
On 12 November, David Smalling, a painter originally from Jamaica and now residing in New York, will unveil his second solo exhibition at Templon in Brussels. This follows his spring showcase, Elizabethan Collar, where his oil paintings on wood panels depict extravagant dinner-party scenes, substituting tables with piled mattresses. Works like Standing Ovation and No Jacket Required contrast beauty with unease, drawing inspiration from Mannerism and Dutch still life. Having relocated to the US in his late teens, Smalling studied at Yale and Harvard, meticulously planning his images prior to painting. His titles, including Tallow and Supplemental Course, carry deeper meanings, prompting viewers to reflect on themes of class, gender, and vulnerability. He is also innovating a technique that merges modern fabrication with copperplate engraving.
Key facts
- David Smalling's second solo show with Templon opens at the gallery's Brussels space on 12 November.
- His previous show, Elizabethan Collar, was held at Templon New York in spring.
- Smalling was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to the US in his late teens.
- He studied applied maths at Yale, trained at the Yale School of Art, and completed a PhD at Harvard.
- He currently lives and works in New York.
- His paintings depict dinner-party motifs with mattresses replacing tables, including works titled Standing Ovation, No Jacket Required, Tallow, Supplemental Course, A Night to Remember and Chandelier.
- Tallow and Supplemental Course set a candelabrum on precarious mattress stacks, turning the bed into an altar or monument.
- He is developing a method combining modern fabrication with copperplate engraving, inspired by Albrecht Dürer and Hendrick Goltzius.
Entities
Artists
- David Smalling
- Albrecht Dürer
- Hendrick Goltzius
- Charles Roussel
Institutions
- Templon
- Templon New York
- Yale School of Art
- Yale University
- Harvard University
Locations
- Kingston
- Jamaica
- New York
- United States
- Brussels
- Belgium