“Seen and Unseen” by Siana Smith

Jun 21, 2023 | 63 comments

On display from July 11, 2023 – August 27, 2023.

As a visual artist, Siana Smith is heavily influenced by the critical theory of Guy Debord, particularly his concepts in “The Society of the Spectacle.” This theory argues that contemporary society has replaced reality with a representation of itself, a spectacle, in which images dominate our lives and shape our perception of the world. It is highly relevant in today’s society and resonates deeply with Smith’s artistic practice.

Growing up in China during the post-Cultural Revolution era, Siana Smith experienced a life of scarcity, where handmade clothing by her grandmother held profound personal significance, symbolizing her grandma’s affection in a way that resonated deep in Siana’s subconscious. The loss of these garments left a void in her heart. Then, three decades ago, Siana immigrated to America and encountered a culture of consumerism. She was captivated by the seductive power of material possessions, subconsciously equating them with love and happiness.

At first glance, Smith’s large-scale paintings of high-fashion consumer products appear to embody the spectacle Debord criticizes. However, she intentionally depicts these subjects in rich, vivid colors and intricate details to highlight their allure and seductive power. Simultaneously, Siana incorporates symbols of transience, push, pull, and other elements to prompt the viewers to consider the more profound, often darker social and psychological context surrounding these objects of beauty. 

Furthermore, Smith’s artwork goes beyond the surface level and exposes the impoverishment of society brought about by the spectacles. She captures real-life moments that indicate the impact of commodities, particularly in the commoditized virtual world behind the screens, on our relationship with one another and the natural world. She hopes to engage the audience on multiple levels by creating visually stunning and alarming paintings. Rather than simply consuming the images, as Debord argues, the viewer is asked to actively participate in the act of seeing.

Siana Smith’s artwork seeks to challenge societal spectacles and delve into the complexities of human emotions, experiences, and connections.

Artist Biography:

As an immigrant who came to the United States in the early 1990s, Siana earned her master’s degree in computer science, worked as a software engineer, and then dedicated herself to raising a family. Subsequently, Siana found her true calling in art and painted commodities ranging from fashion accessories to used tissues. She uses vivid colors, larger-than-life scale, and fine details to emphasize subjects and subject matter. Her figurative works catch fleeting moments in life, fostering engaging dialogues on issues in a social and psychological context.

Siana earned her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree focusing on fine art painting from California College of the Arts, San Francisco, in 2021. Her paintings have been shown nationally, including at The De Young Museum of San Francisco, the New York Academy of Art, the Triton Museum of Santa Clara, CA, Southern Arkansas University, the Haggin Museum in Stockton, CA, and various other galleries. 

Siana has a passion for public art and community service, having painted murals in the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently serves on the City of Saratoga, CA Public Art Commission. Siana is a signature member of American Women Artists (AWA) and a member of the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art (NCWCA). She recently completed a 6-month Artist-in-Residence program in Navasota, Texas.

To learn more about Siana and her work, visit her website or follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

Reception Date: Friday, July 21, 2023 from 3 – 5 PM, on-site.

63 Comments

  1. prezzo di alavert 10 mg con prescrizione medica a Palermo

    Hi would you mind stating which blog platform you’re using?
    I’m planning to start my own blog in the near
    future but I’m having a hard time selecting between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.
    The reason I ask is because your layout seems different then most blogs and I’m looking
    for something completely unique. P.S My apologies for
    getting off-topic but I had to ask!

    Reply
  2. tlover tonet

    But wanna comment that you have a very decent website , I enjoy the style it really stands out.

    Reply
  3. best fly control for equines

    Hmm is anyone else having problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to find out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any responses would be greatly appreciated.

    Reply
  4. investiciono zlato

    I together with my guys were actually following the good solutions from your web page and at once got a horrible suspicion I never expressed respect to the web site owner for those secrets. All the women are actually excited to read them and now have seriously been having fun with these things. Thanks for genuinely really thoughtful and also for picking out such fine useful guides most people are really wanting to know about. Our own sincere regret for not expressing gratitude to you sooner.

    Reply
  5. Female Escorts

    Well I definitely liked studying it. This tip offered by you is very effective for proper planning.

    Reply
  6. Tarkov

    Muchos Gracias for your article post.Really thank you! Great.

    Reply
  7. Taipei doctor

    Fantastic article post.Thanks Again. Will read on…

    Reply
  8. ai chatgpt

    Very neat blog article. Much obliged.

    Reply
  9. small family farms

    I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is required to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very web savvy so I’m not 100 positive. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

    Reply
  10. underress ai

    I truly appreciate this blog article. Awesome.

    Reply
  11. click here

    ONCE U SERVE UR MISTRESS, U WILL CRAVE, BEG FOR MORE MY BITCH!

    Reply
  12. gpt online free

    I loved your article.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.

    Reply
  13. nsfw ai chat

    Looking forward to reading more. Great blog.Thanks Again. Much obliged.

    Reply
  14. hire a hacker reviews

    I was curious if you ever considered changing the page layout of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?

    Reply
  15. hire a hacker for iPhone

    Hi there this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!

    Reply
  16. ai sexting

    Thanks for the article.Much thanks again. Really Cool.

    Reply
  17. spicy chat

    I loved your blog post. Really Great.

    Reply
  18. 屏東外約

    Thanks a lot for the article post.Much thanks again. Really Great.

    Reply
  19. clearvu fence

    I value the article.Really looking forward to read more. Keep writing.

    Reply
  20. puravive review

    Some genuinely interesting information, well written and generally user genial.

    Reply
  21. estuches lagart

    Only a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw great design and style.

    Reply
  22. epson ecotank et-18100

    When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!

    Reply
  23. suprax pour une vie sans soucis

    Hi there! This article couldn’t be written much
    better! Going through this article reminds me of my previous roommate!
    He continually kept preaching about this. I most certainly
    will send this information to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read.
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  24. sklep internetowy

    Wow, incredible weblog format! How lengthy have you been blogging for?

    you make running a blog glance easy. The full
    glance of your web site is magnificent, as well as the content!
    You can see similar here sklep internetowy

    Reply
  25. Fitspresso review

    Great write-up, I am normal visitor of one’s web site, maintain up the excellent operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a long time.

    Reply
  26. Honeyburn reviews

    Hello, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your website in Firefox, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, amazing blog!

    Reply
  27. Kerassentials

    Hello there, I found your website via Google while looking for a related topic, your website came up, it looks great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

    Reply
  28. puravive review

    What Is Puravive? Before we delve into the various facets of the supplement, let’s start with the most important

    Reply
  29. fitspresso

    Fitspresso stands out among the crowded health supplement market as an exceptional product.

    Reply
  30. Sugar Defender

    Hi my friend! I wish to say that this article is amazing, great written and come with approximately all significant infos. I would like to see more posts like this .

    Reply
  31. fitspresso review

    Thankyou for all your efforts that you have put in this. very interesting information.

    Reply
  32. sugar defender reviews

    My husband and i ended up being very cheerful when John managed to deal with his investigations via the ideas he had through your weblog. It is now and again perplexing just to happen to be giving out instructions which often the rest have been making money from. And we fully grasp we now have the writer to be grateful to for that. The main illustrations you made, the straightforward website menu, the friendships you will help to foster – it’s all amazing, and it’s really making our son and our family reason why this concept is amusing, which is certainly exceptionally serious. Thanks for the whole thing!

    Reply
  33. Caroline

    Your hairy man just free show room to entertain and amuse you.

    Reply
  34. Sugar defender drops reviews

    Hello my friend! I want to say that this article is awesome, nice written and include approximately all important infos. I would like to see more posts like this.

    Reply
  35. Sugar defender reviews

    Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have truly loved surfing around your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing in your rss feed and I’m hoping you write again soon!

    Reply
  36. i need a phone hacker

    I’ve been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this site. Thank you, I will try and check back more often. How frequently you update your website?

    Reply
  37. The Genius Wave

    Thank you for every other informative website. The place else may I get that kind of information written in such an ideal approach? I’ve a venture that I’m simply now working on, and I’ve been at the glance out for such information.

    Reply
  38. Lottery defeater

    F*ckin¦ awesome issues here. I¦m very satisfied to see your article. Thank you so much and i’m having a look forward to touch you. Will you please drop me a e-mail?

    Reply
  39. cbd bestellen

    It is really a great and useful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  40. uWeed Schweiz

    Thanks for sharing excellent informations. Your web site is so cool. I’m impressed by the details that you have on this web site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found simply the info I already searched everywhere and just couldn’t come across. What an ideal site.

    Reply
  41. uweed france

    There is noticeably a bundle to find out about this. I assume you made sure nice factors in features also.

    Reply
  42. renew

    You could definitely see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.

    Reply
  43. puravive

    What i do not realize is in truth how you’re now not actually a lot more smartly-preferred than you may be now. You are very intelligent. You realize thus considerably in terms of this subject, produced me for my part consider it from so many numerous angles. Its like women and men don’t seem to be interested unless it is one thing to accomplish with Woman gaga! Your personal stuffs nice. Always handle it up!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *