Jonathan David Smyth (b. Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1987) is a New York-based artist working with photography, video, performance, and incorporated text. He received a BA with Honors in Photography and Film at Edinburgh Napier University in 2010. From 2010-2012, Jonathan lived in Manchester, England where he worked as a nightclub photographer. In 2014 he earned an MFA in Photography from Parsons School of Design. Smyth’s work has been exhibited in London, New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, Edinburgh, Philadelphia, Auckland, and Budapest. His first book of photography entitled, “Just One More” will be released in 2017.
House Hold
“House Hold” is an ongoing series about Jonathan David Smyth’s adoptive family in Northern Ireland. Growing up, Jonathan wasn’t allowed to talk about his adoption, so he left home at sixteen and tried to move on. A few years later, he began to photograph his family to create some sort of personal archive.
Smyth says, “I see this work as a well-balanced document of the people I grew up with. By well balanced, I mean they are attractive images, but they are not the kind of photographs you would find in the family album. For instance, my mother isn’t so keen of the portrait of her eating ice cream, and certainly does not consider it a good photograph. For me, I see beyond the ice cream smear on her lip, and my dad’s glare at the camera. I see a moment that only I, as their son, could have captured.”
To view more of Jonathan’s work please visit his website.