To hew is to make, sculpt or shape. It is the equivalent to prompting anew.
Chinda Smith (b. 2001, Vientiane, Lao) lives and works in London. She graduated with a First Class Honours from The University of the Arts London (UAL) in 2023, after completing her Foundation Year at The Royal Drawing School.
With oil painting being her primary medium, she also explores wider concepts through writing, and installation practices.
“I’ve been considering how I might restructure the way that I live and think in relation to the word hewn. As we grow, partnerships either strengthen or splinter. A natural process guided by a reliance on pattern. Viewing the conscience, a malleable singular, with room for trial and error, to realise our own capacity for change.
To hew implies contact. To observe repetition and forecast the depth of mutuality to come from what has been. In terms of craft, to hewn is the first stage of creation. We can equate this with disruption. Borrowing from a natural resource. Paint hewn from powdered stones. What follows is to hone. To refine. This reconsiders specialisms with more significance as it encourages innovation, which in itself is a departure. In the sphere of the honing process, we can become more at ease with the streamlined nature of acceptance in specialisms. Diverting away from restlessness; which can spiral into attempts towards full occupancy; instead finding something more sustaining such as relief in focused expression.”
Instagram: @chindasmith_
Venue: The Chapel, 21 Old Ford Road, E2 9PL
Access: We are working to make our Grade II listed building more accessible but it will take some time. If you require access support (including our portable ramps), please get in touch via emily@stmargaretshouse.org.uk
Opening event: Friday 29th August, 6.30-8.30pm
Exhibition: Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st August, 11am-4pm