Report from Nori Mountain

Jenna Beasley, Kari Cholnoky, Al Freeman, Bel Fullana, Auriea Harvey, Marc Kokopeli, Maggie Lee, Danny McDonald, John Russell, Igor Simic, Koda Smith, Winslow Smith

Smilers presents its third exhibition, Report From Nori Mountain, inspired by a notoriously fictitious document published in New York in 1967.

Participants were reached through a combination of direct invitations, requests to suggest another artist in one’s stead, and selections from a first experiment with an open call (posted on April Fool’s day, not coincidentally). All were, however, provided the same emoji-infested prompt, which proved only slightly less confusing when supplemented by a few sentences of what Smilers was seeking in its so-called “transmissions”. What came back through this self-imposed static was brilliantly motley—some of the works (from those tapped by others) arrived without making prior contact with their makers. Tremendous gratitude is therefore due to these Believers who have brought to the table a strange and fantastic array of creations in various media. Personal interpretations of the science fiction genre come together in the spirit of a traditional science fair: a showcase of individual talent while ultimately—communal. Stated at the welcome risk of undermining its curatorial principles: this group show is the visual product of weird communication and wild feats of mutual trust.

An exceptional group of artists from around the globe and at all stages of their careers gather at the base of Nori Mountain, and “in these uncertain times”, the report from Smilers is one of hope, joy, humor, and an abundance of good will towards a space which has been elevated by the artists and minds that have lent themselves to this unusual venture.