About the Paintings

Zoë's oil paintings on canvas depict the scenes and people at parties, nightclubs, concerts, and festivals, emphasizing the quality of light in each different environment. She uses the photos she takes at night as reference for her paintings, when artificial lights create a rich landscape of vibrant colors and uncanny nocturnal doppelgangers.

Behind the scenes is a deeper consideration of the impact of artificial light in our lives today. The sun no longer commands us. We disrupt the light-dark cycle with the constant gleam of screens, street lights and signs, unintentionally removing ourselves from the cycles of wakefullness and rest, inducing an ever-productive state of existence that is incongruent with the natural balance.

With a strong interest in the colors, lights and shadows produced by artificial illumination, Zoë explores the mysterious, alternative, nocturnal world of the anthropocene. 

About the Artist

Zoë LeBlanc de Smith is a visual artist from Michigan, USA, who lives and works in Barcelona, Spain. She received a BFA and teaching certificate in Art Education from Michigan State University in 2016 and 2018 respectively, and a Diploma in Studio Arts from Metáfora Studio Arts in 2022. 

Since moving to Barcelona in 2020, she has exhibited work in a solo exhibition at cultural bar Perros Mediterraneos and group exhibitions in Raima, CasCadas Artspace, Plataforma 2, Angels Espai 2, HAF, MUTUO and  FOC Gallery.

She presented her thesis for the Diploma in Studio Arts at the MACBA Library followed by a final group exhibition at Ángels Espai 2 in January of 2022.

She was an Artist in Residence with R.A.R.O. Barcelona in conjunction with OpenBach Gallery and Yellow Cube Gallery of Paris in the Summer of 2022.

Her work is included in the student collection of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University.