Job Smeets Explained

Job Smeets (born 19 December 1969) is a Belgian contemporary conceptual and sculptural artist and designer and founder of Studio Job based in Antwerp, Belgium. Known for producing "high-end works toying with politically loaded signifiers",[1] he combines traditional and modern techniques to produce art and design objects.

Early career

Job Smeets was born in Hamont-Achel, Belgium. Before moving to Eindhoven in the Netherlands to study, he graduated cum laude in 1996 from the Eindhoven Design Academy. During his studies, he formed 'Oval Design' with Hugo Timmermans, a design agency that launched the clock 'Take your Time' with which Smeets had his first solo show 'Oval in The House' at Frozen Fountain, Amsterdam in 1995.[2] They then developed inflatable lamps 'Bumperlights' for Droog Design that where exhibited at the 'Plastic New Treat' show in Milan in 1996.[3] [4] Job Smeets founded his own art and design studio 'Studio Job' in 1998.[5] [6]

Work

Studio Job's artwork ranges from unique bronze artwork in the Metropolitan Museum, New York,[7] to a royal stamp featuring the Dutch King (forty million pieces produced)[8] [9] from the unique life-size bronze sculptures on Miami Beach for Faena,[10] to the one-off Wunderkammer curiosity cabinet that Studio Job produced for Swarovski in Innsbruck.[11]

Under the direction of Job Smeets with a studio in Milan, Italy[12] [13] and the atelier in Tilburg, Netherlands, Studio Job work across many areas including art, design, fashion, architecture, automotive and interior design having worked on projects including sculptures for Swarovski,[14] Barneys,[15] Viktor & Rolf[16] and Land Rover,[17] and product collections for brands such as Alessi,[18] Moooi,[19] Bisazza,[20] Swatch,[21] Gufram, and Disaronno.[22] In 2017 Studio Job teamed up with Italian manufacturer Seletti to form the joint brand BLOW producing products in the pop spirit.[23] Job Smeets has produced work for various galleries including Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Moss Gallery New York,[24] [25] Dilmos Milano, Fondazione Bisazza[26] and Chamber New York[27] [28] where he curated and coordinated the gallery's launch collection and book.[29]

Studio Job are ranked in the press as one of the world’s most influential players within design and art.[30] Their collectable work is said to create a bridge between object and product by merging art and graphics.[31] [32] [33]

He has completed four solo shows as an individual and over 82 solo shows as Studio Job including Groningen Museum 2003, 2006, 2007, 2011 & 2012,

He has also turned his attentions to the world of textiles, designing the patterns of luxury carpets.[34]

Writing

Job Smeets has written for various books and magazines. In 2011 he wrote a regular column in the Financial Times UK [35] and, more recently, a monthly column in design magazine WOTH, Netherlands [36] and his own six books including Monkey Business, Book of Job, and regularly lectures internationally on art and design like for example at the V&A Museum in 2015[37] and Cooper Union, New York in 2010.[38]

Personal life

Job Smeets currently resides in Milan Italy[13] with his partner Rebecca Sharkey they had their first child Elvis together in May 2020 and second child Ziggy in 2021. He split from his graphic designer partner Nynke Tynagel in 2015. They marked the occasion of their split with a bronze art piece: the Train Crash table.[39]

Notes and References

  1. News: High-End Works Toying With Politically Loaded Signifiers. 2016-03-31. The New York Times. 2018-05-22. en-US. 0362-4331.
  2. Web site: Job Smeets. www.kunstbus.nl. nl. 2018-05-22.
  3. Web site: Plastics New Treat Droog − a different perspective on design. www.droog.com. en. 2018-05-22.
  4. News: Studio Job Expositie – ArchiNed. Redactie. 2000-10-09. ArchiNed. 2018-05-22. nl.
  5. Web site: Carpenters Workshop Gallery. carpentersworkshopgallery.com. en. 2018-05-22.
  6. Web site: Studio Job news, design and interviews Dezeen. Dezeen. en-US. 2018-05-22.
  7. News: From furniture to jewellery, Ettore Sottsass’ revolutionary legacy is an eclectic one. Magazine. Wallpaper*. 2017-07-27. Wallpaper*. 2018-05-23.
  8. News: Prinses Mabel prijst Studio Job. Royalty Online. 2018-05-23. nl.
  9. News: Studio Job designs a stamp for King Willem-Alexander design Dezeen. 2013-12-02. Dezeen. 2018-05-22. en-US.
  10. Web site: Studio Job: Tree of Life. www.domusweb.it. en. 2018-05-22.
  11. News: The Wunderkammer by Studio Job at Swarovski Kristallwelten. 2015-06-10. Frame Publishers. 2018-05-22. en-US.
  12. Web site: Il mondo fantastico di Studio Job tutto in una casa di Milano. Dardana. Testo Cecilia. 2019-04-19. Living. it-IT. 2020-01-06.
  13. Web site: Studio Job’s New Home in Milan. Murialdo. Eugenia. 2019-04-13. ELLE Decor. it-IT. 2020-01-06.
  14. Web site: Wunderkammer van Studio Job. residence.nl. en. 2018-05-22.
  15. News: Studio Job Is Taking Over the Barneys New York Windows and Everything Else This Holiday Season. Viladas. Pilar. W Magazine. 2018-05-22. en.
  16. News: Rebellious Sophistication by Studio Job for Viktor & Rolf. 2013-03-10. Frame Publishers. 2018-05-22. en-US.
  17. News: Studio Job gives the Land Rover Defender a bold new look to mark its 65th anniversary. Magazine. Wallpaper*. 2013-05-02. Wallpaper*. 2018-05-22.
  18. Web site: Le Monde.fr - Actualités et Infos en France et dans le monde. Le Monde.fr. fr. 2018-05-22.
  19. News: Designs by Marcel Wanders and Studio Job in Moooi's latest collection. 2014-04-03. Dezeen. 2018-05-22. en-US.
  20. News: Bisazza launches new wooden mosaic collection by Studio Job Wallpaper. 2016-09-14. Wallpaper. 2019-10-07. en-UK.
  21. News: Gevonden: het perfecte horloge voor design- en punkliefhebbers. 2018-04-23. Esquire. 2018-05-22. nl-NL.
  22. News: Disaronno x Studio Job Wonderland Magazine. 2016-05-19. Wonderland. 2018-05-22. en-US.
  23. News: Studio Job and Seletti Collaborate For Fast Food Furniture Design at Maison & Objet Architectural Digest. Architectural Digest. 2018-05-22. en.
  24. News: Bavaria by Studio Job Dezeen. 2008-11-26. Dezeen. 2018-05-23. en-US.
  25. News: Pieces from Moss Gallery Architectural Digest. Architectural Digest. 2018-05-22. en.
  26. News: Bisazza Foundation opens Domus Web. 2012-02-12. Domus. 2019-10-07. en-US.
  27. News: Studio Job — Chamber. Chamber. 2018-05-22. en-US.
  28. News: chamber presents a decade of studio job at new york's armory show. 2016-03-04. designboom architecture & design magazine. 2018-05-22. en-US.
  29. News: Chamber design gallery opens in New York's Chelsea. 2014-09-15. Dezeen. 2018-05-22. en-US.
  30. News: Studio Job. WHYTT Magazine. 2018-05-22. en-GB.
  31. News: Studio Job Wallpaper* Magazine Wallpaper* Magazine. Magazine. Wallpaper*. Wallpaper*. 2018-05-22.
  32. News: In Conversation: Studio Job. Ryder. Bethan. 2016-05-05. The Telegraph. 2018-05-22. en-GB. 0307-1235.
  33. News: Job Smeets (1970) is één van de invloedrijkste kunstenaars van deze tijd. 2015-12-11. Zakenblad. 2018-05-22. nl-NL.
  34. Web site: Studio Job's carpets designed for the Nodus collections. 2022-11-07. en-GB.
  35. Web site: Diary of a Somebody: Job Smeets SQUARE LUXURY. squa.re. en-US. 2018-05-23.
  36. Web site: The Studio Job Bismarck. WOTH. nl-NL. 2018-05-22.
  37. News: Defining Luxury: Job Smeets and Jan Boelen in Conversation. V&A. 2018-05-22. en-US.
  38. Web site: BOOK OF JOB - Lecture with Artist and Designer Job Smeets of Studio Job - Upcoming.org Archive. archive.upcoming.org. en. 2018-05-22.
  39. News: Studio Job sculpts "autobiographical" train crash table. 2015-06-17. Dezeen. 2018-05-22. en-US.

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