BEING JOHN SMITH
Wednesday 14 May @ 10:00 am - Saturday 21 June @ 4:00 pm
Free
A deceptively wry and deeply felt work by the English avant-garde legend- Jesse Cumming, Toronto International Film Festival
After enduring many decades of embarrassment and discomfort, the artist John Smith finally admits to the negative impact that the commonest name in the English-speaking world has had on his psyche. Peppered with disparate fragments of autobiography, Being John Smith (2024) takes us on a confessional journey that reveals just how important a name can be.
Born in 1952 in Walthamstow, Smith has won international renown for his quietly humorous work, which often plays with the viewer’s narrative expectations, and involves subtle political critique.
14 May – 21 June
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm
Saturday screenings continue until 8pm (except 24 May)
Screenings begin on the hour and half hour
Free, all welcome
John Smith will give a talk at CAST on Thursday 12 June, preceded by a CAST Café supper from 6pm. Tickets are available now.
Film still John Smith Being John Smith, 2024. HD Video, 27 minutes © John Smith. Image courtesy the artist and Kate MacGarry Gallery.