A Big Pile of Shit With A Diamond On Top Collage

I produce artwork under the name ‘Smithsonian Rosterino’ or ‘Rost’ for short; for me a pseudonym offers another layer to the complexity of my work; it also distinguishes me from the multitude of other artists called Andy Smith. My work covers a variety of disciplines including mixed media collage, painting, assemblage, sound installation and digital media. I have always been a collector and had a magpie attitude to the things that inspire me. Ultimately, at its most basic, the materials I accumulate shape and inform my artwork and working process. These ‘ingredients’ can vary from magazine and newspaper cuttings to sound recordings and objects from charity shops and flea markets. The essence of my work has continually been about bringing together all these elements to tell a story. The narrative is created in the body of work as much as it is the individual pieces. When compiled and collaged together all these components create intricate layered compositions and objects that deal with comparably complex subjects. For me it is important not to just re-present the images around me, I have to instil some meaningful discourse from my life experiences and the world I see. My visual sampling process is informed by music; sampling from the past, re-appropriating and creating something new. The narrative is not blatantly apparent; often hidden behind un-digestible layers of scribbled out pencil scrawl, whitewashed imagery, splats of spray-paint and contrasting, graphically sharp shapes.