{"id":1364,"date":"2026-06-25T14:18:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T14:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grachten.museum\/programma\/kaili-smith-solo-exhibition\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T14:10:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T14:10:25","slug":"kaili-smith-solo-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"tentoonstelling","link":"https:\/\/grachten.museum\/en\/programma\/kaili-smith-solo-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Solo exhibition by Kaili Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An Ode To Creativity, Canals & Family<\/em> <\/p>\n\n

Kaili Smith’s first solo museum exhibition is a tribute to creativity, family, and the canals. The artist brings together two series of large paintings: new portraits he made especially for this exhibition and the existing series An Ode To Noord and Family. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Contemporary classical<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

In the museum\u2019s historic period rooms, full of detailed wall decorations and ornaments, where you might expect to see portraits of Amsterdam\u2019s historic civic elite, you will instead encounter contemporary works. Kaili\u2019s large-scale contemporary portraits create a striking contrast against the classical surroundings. In An Ode To Creativity, Canals & Family, the artist shows how families and friends shape his world. <\/p>\n\n

Encounters by the canals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Alongside a series of existing portraits of families from Amsterdam-Noord, the exhibition presents an entirely new series of portraits created especially for the occasion. In these works, Smith brings together three groups of creatives: musicians, comedians, and writers. His paintings depict them meeting at night by the bridges spanning Amsterdam\u2019s canals \u2013 fleeting yet recognizable moments for anyone who lives and works in the city. <\/p>\n\n

The works portray both friendships and romantic relationships within these creative circles. At the same time, each painting references works that have influenced the people portrayed and played a role in their development within their respective fields. The audiotour gives visitors the opportunity to hear the stories of both the artist and the people portrayed in the works. <\/p>\n\n

About the artist<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Kaili Smith was born in the Netherlands in 1995 and grew up in Australia. Over the past decade, he has divided his time between Amsterdam and New York, two cities that have played an important role in his development as an artist. In his work, Smith explores the lived experiences of young people in the city and the dynamics of family structures. To describe this practice, he introduced the term \u2018Globalized Inner Cityizm\u2019: an artistic investigation into how different cultures, social environments and personal experiences come together in the lives of young people in the contemporary city. <\/p>\n\n

Through painting and film, Smith offers an alternative perspective on these themes. His work is deeply rooted in his own background and experiences. His experience as an art educator, together with his research into behavioral psychology, also plays an important role in shaping the way he observes people, relationships and the world around him. <\/p>\n\n

Events<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

During Kaili Smith\u2019s exhibition, the Grachtenmuseum will present a programme of events. Each of the new paintings will be accompanied by a public programme, including a comedy show and a live musical performance. Keep an eye on the website for the latest updates. <\/p>\n\n

International Recognition and Museum Commissions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Kaili Smith is an emerging presence on the international art scene. In recent years, he has participated in a number of leading group exhibitions. Among these was the 2021 and 2023 editions of the Royal Prize for Modern Painting (Koninklijke Prijs voor Moderne Schilderkunst) at the Royal Palace Amsterdam. His work received the Audience Award in 2021 and was awarded second place in 2023. <\/p>\n\n

His work is also receiving increasing recognition within the museum sector. His museum presentations include commissions for Museum Ons\u2019 Lieve Heer op Solder (2025) and the MORE Museum (2025). His work has previously been exhibited at the Museum of Art & History in Lancaster (2019) and the Honolulu Museum of Art (2018). From 2023 to 2025, Kaili was a resident at the prestigious Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. Selected from artists from around the world, he was given the opportunity to further develop his artistic practice as part of the academy\u2019s two-year residency programme. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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