Joseph Smolinski originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, currently lives and works in New Haven, Connecticut.
In 1999 he moved from Minnesota to complete his MFA at the University of Connecticut. Joseph currently teaches drawing at the University of New Haven.
His work addresses his interest in cycles of life and death, notions of bio-tech hybrids, good and bad science fiction, cellular systems, bioluminescent sea creatures of the deep, spawning galaxies from afar, the energy of spring, the suspended animation of winter, the plants that grow in his garden, giant cell towers disguised as trees, and the intricate complexity of life. Joseph has shown his work both nationally and internationally
Of his work, he writes:
"There are things in nature that never cease to make me wonder. Living through developing societies, tragedies of war and natural disasters, trees continue to regulate our climate, improve our water quality and clean our air. The oldest and largest organisms on our planet survive a history longer than we can remember...
It was quite a shock the day I came across a giant fake tree looming above the interstate landscape. This pseudo-biotech hybrid was erected to camouflage the cellular communication transmitters beneath its fronds. It struck me as the beginning of a new history yet to be written...
In this vision, parasitic cell tower trees populate the landscape in many forms that become historic landmarks, roadside curiosities and survivors of natural disasters...
Through these explorations I wondered what else the tree could become. I began reading about wind power and its aesthetic opponents led me to begin my Tree Turbine project. It is clear that wind-generated electricity is a clean, sustainable alternative to climate-warming fossil fuels...
I concluded that if these opposing groups disguised their cell towers as trees then why not disguise the wind turbine...?
Trees continue to permeate my work not only through their religious, political and personal histories, but also as means to question technology and the future of the natural world."
Answers from a brief interview with Smolinski...
Q: What is your favorite color?
A: I think highly of all colors, especially the color of graphite, but I think that green has many interesting associations to politics, the environment, history and my work.
Q: What is your favorite adrenaline booster?
A: It used to be skateboarding at illegal sites and running from the police, but now I’m just the old guy wheezing at the skate park.
Q: What is your favorite type of book?
A: This summer I read 1984 on the beach in Grand Cayman; it was a very strange experience to physically in a beautiful place while mentally in the complete opposite.
Q: What is your favorite type of movie?
A: I’m really hooked on the Coen Brothers movies. I am fascinated by their dark humor, the characters they create are amazing and of course they’re from Minnesota too.
