Nathaniel Kyung Smith (b. 1990) grew up in a rural part of Minnesota. He spent his summers exploring the many bodies of water and forests in the area, as well as performing chores around his parent’s flower shop. The vistas of Lake Superior were especially striking to him--where volcanic bluffs, expanses of still, clear water and billowing clouds converged to create landscapes of interlocking color and shape.

Smith embodies his practice as a process of personal discovery, his works exploring the human body’s psychospiritual relationship to both natural and built environments. His work is historically grounded in its use of traditional materials including carved stone, ceramics and oil paint. His work is informed and expanded by the performative and embodied artforms of dance and theater.

He was educated in fine art and Socratic Seminar in Los Angeles, receiving his BFA in Studio Arts in 2014. He has exhibited with Maybaum Gallery, La Beast, Green Gallery, Prism Gallery, Pasadena City College, and has public monuments around Los Angeles.