Jessica Bosworth Smith (b. 1989) is an artist working in painting, ceramics, minituria, and interventions with found objects. Her work invites close inspection, revealing unexpected and playful details that create layered dialogues between the artist’s imagination and the viewer’s interpretation. 

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Bosworth Smith is interested in the depiction of an idealised version of reality. Using extensive research into seemingly familiar places, she reinterprets each reference in a profusion of colour, pattern and detail. Each work invites the viewer to covertly observe spaces which feel as though only exist in the rarified world of ultimate wealth and luxury. Often, her compositions resonate with an ever-so-slight feeling of offness. Vanishing points that misalign, perspective that tilts off the canvas, figures seemingly caught off guard, and absurd pairings of subject matter. Hotels, recognisable luxury brands, viral trends, architecturally significant homes, the young and beautiful, instagrammable locations, and the cult of aesthetic all find their way into Bosworth Smith’s work. Amongst this, tigers, birds of paradise, crocodiles, cats, and snakes are recurring elements.

Every detail in each piece is carefully considered for what it says about the space, the moment the viewer has “stumbled” into the scene, and the people who inhabit them. Careful thought is put into the titling of each work and often adds an additional narrative layer or pseudo-polite or ironic ambiguity that invites the viewer to reconsider what they’re seeing—and how they’re seeing it. 

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​Bosworth Smith received her BFA from Rhodes University and her Honours in Visual Studies (Illustration), cum laude, from the University of Stellenbosch. She has participated in international residencies including Comic Blast at the Arteles Creative Center in Finland (2018) and Casa Figueira at São João Farm in Brazil (2023). She has also published two books through Imagnary House. Bosworth Smith currently exhibits with 131 A Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa.