Artist Profile

Kat Wilson-Smith is a Perth-based Installation, Performance and Conscious Artist/Creator. Their current practice aims to not only understand but also capture the journey of the soul in the process of Ascension. The artist has undergone their own journey of understanding energy modalities and ancient rituals, journeying to sacred lands including Egypt, Glastonbury, Sainte-Baume in the South of France and Aotearoa. On their pilgrimages, the artist takes notes of the natural elements' presence in these sacred sites and its resonance in the human body. Upon gathering these etheric keys of the lands, the artist's intention is to translate these energetic experiences into the tangible realm.

The artist aims to create sacred sites in accessible locations for audiences to undergo their own journey of Ascension. Wilson-Smith's practice navigates the contextual plane of physical elements, colours, textures and form in curated spaces. The artist questions how spaces can be consciously created to allow audience members to move through their own density and bring them to a state of balance and peace.

Kat's current practice focuses on the transmutation of emotion, using the body as a vessel for meaning-making. Wilson-Smith continues their exploration of the cycles of life and death in relation to various burial practices, with an emphasis on sarcophagi. They navigate the capacity of natural elements—fire, water, earth, air, and ether—to hold space and assist in understanding the human experience.

Additionally, Kat works to create carefully considered and constructed spaces for audiences to undergo their own cycles of death and rebirth.

Their recent work 'Relics' acts as a transformative collection of works. When all the pieces of the work are installed together, they form a bigger picture of the artist's current exploration. When the works pass onto their new homes, they become renewed with a greater intention. The artist hopes that in the future all the works will be reunited to form a greater work with not only its original meaning restored but also amplified.

Kat has studied both classical and contemporary forms of movement, giving them a greater breadth of gesture. As they consider the accessibility of their work in conjunction with its materiality, gesture can be decoded consciously or subconsciously by the audience. Audience participation and perception are crucial components of their work; without the audience, there is no work.

The artist is influenced by contemporary masters such as Marina Abramović and Bill Viola in their navigation of the soul’s journey in works such as The Current (2017) and Martyrs (2014). Wilson-Smith considers the materiality of their work in space while also acknowledging the existence of their own physical vessel in space.

Education:

2021, Bachelor of Contemporary Arts, Major Visual Arts, Edith Cowan University
2022-2023, 5D Empire (Modality Origin Activation) with Eesha Patel
2023, Diploma of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics
2023, Priestess Path of Sisterhood of Sacred Sound with Elsa Field

Achievements and Awards:

2020, Mentee-ship with Sculptures by the Sea, Olga Cironis
2020, Winner of ArtSource Industry Award, ArtsHum Graduate Show
2020, Nomination for the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts Graduate Show, Hatched
2020, Winner of Chinoiserie Fine Art Print Award

Group Exhibitions:

2020, ArtsHum Graduate Show, Edith Cowan University
2021, Goolugatup Invitational for Graduate Artists
2021, Art Gala presented by Crystal & Stone
2022, Pride Edit Exhibition, Art Space Collective