king kong nynke tynagel job smeets

landmark in miami is not a closed-end collection, but an installation of monumental sculptures developed between the period of 2009-2014, inspired in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008. the selection was made in collaboration with loic le gaillard and julien lombrail, the founders of carpenters workshop gallery in paris and london. job smeets drafted hundreds of sketches, all somber in subject, and together with nynke, in the form of a family of destructive and dark objects.



foam model of the burj khalifa sculpture | photo courtesy of carpenters workshop gallery

‘… drawings that speak of personal loss and universal destruction. the end of the world and its appalling humanity. impending doom and the transience of life’s greatest treasures: love, trust and hope. they’re tragic sketches about crumbling cultures, failing systems, murderous extremes and deadly storms.

pride and fall, blind ambition, mass hysteria and all the other things that make us throw ourselves and all we possess into a fetid cesspit. the so-called lofty civilization where hate reigns and discord is sown. despicable regimes with countless laws, emblems and victims. manipulation through religion and propaganda. our truth is a dictatorial cycle that since time immemorial has made us fall and get up again, build up and demolish what we have built. (…) ~job smeets

burj khalifa 2013>14 | polished and patined bronze, cast aluminum, 24K gilding, silver plate, swarovski crystal, mechanical hermle clockwork, faux marbre, hand paintings, hand blown glass, LED fittings, electro motors | prototype + 5 + 2 AP | photo courtesy of carpenters workshop gallery

architecture is what connects this exhibition. cast in bronze, monumental interpretations of world famous buildings. but these icons are positioned anew, and find themselves in a vulnerable position, blown up or reduced to a simple lamp. what also connects the sculptures is the ultimate effort for the ultimate work. they are renaissance pieces for the contemporary applied arts.

it is not a rule of law, but I do believe that buildings tell a lot about their inhabitants. humans as creating beings. (…)~job smeets

plans for ‘big ben (aftermath)

big ben (aftermath) 2009>14 | polished and patined bronze, aluminum, brass, 24K gilding, silver plate, hand paintings, hand blown glass, westminister clock works and gong, led fittings, steel construction, polished verde guatemala marble | prototype + 5 + 2 AP | photo courtesy of carpenters workshop gallery