“I’m a photo-based artist, but the majority of what I do is actually collecting, sourcing and building sets.” So said artist Whitney Lewis-Smith in a 2019 interview with CBC.  “It’s much more sculptural than just a photograph. I make images on glass plate negatives that I make myself. I create other worlds using plants and animals and insects and try to involve the viewer in this alternate universe that I create.”

Lewis-Smith’s work is driven by her passion for saving the environment. “Most of what I’m using in my work won’t exist in another 50 years because of our poor use of the environment around us. So I pay attention to collecting sustainably, but I am also very interested in photographing things that are on the verge of extinction or are almost there.”

This January, The Capital Collective created a short film – In Bloom – set in Vancouver Island and focused on Lewis-Smith and her beautiful 8×10 glass plate creations.

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Until May 28th, you can see work from Whitney Lewis-Smith’s Biophilia at Bau-Xi Photo in Toronto. A peek in …

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Whitney Lewis-Smith. Chimera Fukinagashi Bonsai

Whitney Lewis-Smith. Spiny Bears Breeches

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Whitney Lewis-Smith. Monster

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Whitney Lewis-Smith @ Bau-Xi Photo. Toronto

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www.creatorsvancouver.com

Header: Whitney Lewis-Smith. Transmogrified