In response to his latest, autobiographical film Being John Smith, this programme brings together four works that explore, in different ways, what it is to “be” John Smith. Whilst unusual Red cardigan is prompted by the filmmaker looking himself up on the internet, as one does, only to find an Ebay listing for a VHS tape of his classic film The Girl Chewing Gum (1976), Being John Smith turns a reflection into his very common name into an autobiographical account of his lower middle class upbringing in East London and becoming an artist. Starting with the episode Pyramids/Skunk from the Hotel Diaries (2001-7) series in which Smith draws a very fine line between the personal and the political, the intimate and the global, oscillating with humour between the two, the programme also includes Dad’s Stick, a loving tribute to the artist’s father.

Initially inspired by conceptual art and the structural/materialist ideas that dominated British artists’ filmmaking around the London Film-makers’ Co-operative during his formative years, John Smith has developed an extensive body of work that subverts the perceived boundaries between documentary and fiction, representation and abstraction. Fascinated by the immersive power of narrative and the spoken word, and often rooted in everyday life, Smith’s meticulously crafted films rework and transform reality, playfully exploring and exposing the language of cinema.

“After enduring many decades of embarrassment and discomfort, the artist finally admits to the negative impact that possessing the commonest name in the English-speaking world has had on his psyche. Peppered with disparate fragments of autobiography, Being John Smith takes us on a confessional journey that reveals just how important a name can be.” (John Smith)

Pyramids / Skunk (Hotel Diaries #5)
John Smith | 2006 | UK, The Netherlands | 17’ | Digital | English
unusual Red cardigan
John Smith | 2011 | UK | 11’ | Digital | English spoken
Dad’s Stick
John Smith | 2012 | UK | 5’ | Digital | English spoken
Being John Smith
John Smith | 2024 | UK | 26’ | Digital | English spoken

Followed by a conversation with John Smith.