(b. 1976 - Syracuse, NY) paints portraits of himself and his friends, portraying his subjects in complicated surroundings that resemble photomontages or music video stills. Smith seems to identify with the youthful boredom and disaffection of his subjects. States Martha Schwendener of Artforum, "Smith's persona, so central to these works, relies on the raw, uninformed, anti-professional stance of rebellious youth, but he is also the bored twenty-something dude, surrounded by technological devices and pretty muses." Perhaps Smith places his blankly-starring subjects in their cluttered surroundings to sllude to their complex innter lives. Smith earned BFA from Cooper Union, NY in 1998 and an MFA from Yale University, New Haven, CT in 2001. He currently lives and works in New York City. 2003.096