Jack Smith on what inspires him

Jack has recently joined our Everyday team on placement as part of Curious Mind's Curious Works programme. To get to know Jack a little better, we asked him to write about what inspires him and his practice.

Art is amazing, there are many different artists across different fields that make a serious impact on my practice. Here are some of my favourites.

My Bed, Tracey Emin (1998)

The first Artist on my list is Tracey Emin, her most famous work is the incredible ‘My Bed’, a piece of work which got shortlisted for the Turner Prize.

Inspired by a depressing phase in the artist's life when she stayed in bed for 4 days straight.

I love this piece as it is a notable example of surrealism and shows how we can make art to help us cope in difficult times and share what we have been through.

    New Brighton, England, 1983-85 (Copyright © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos)

The second Artist that inspires me is the amazing Martin Parr, one of the most famous and well-known photographers, who recently passed away. His images on modern life will always stand the test of time.

My personal favourites are his photographs of Merseyside that truly capture its spirit. His work also lives on through Blur’s most recent album too, with the cover featuring an image he took in Scotland.

Waving and Leaving, Deanna Dikeman (2009)

I also love the work of Deanna Dikeman, a documentary photographer who made the series ‘Leaving and Waving’, a very emotional photography series that took place over 27 years!

Every time she left home she photographed her parents waving goodbye until they were no longer there. It is a heartfelt series that captures the memories which stay around forever.

David Hockney (2015)

David Hockney is another artist I like, he is considered by many to be one of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st century . He is an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s. What I like most about his work is his ability to create a scene with such interesting use of colour.

A piece of work I particularly like from him is a more recent one featuring fly tipping. He had created a digital painting inspired by Woldgate in East Yorkshire, which later got ruined by fly tipping. In response Hockney then decided to re-paint it with the fly tipping included.

Practicing Golf Swing, Larry Sultan (1986)

Some last mentions are Larry Sultan, another documentary photographer who focuses on his parents.

In this series he photographs his parents from home, it is fun to take a peek into the life of his parents and see what they get up to.

Queen, Mick Rock (1974)

As well as the legendary ‘Mick Rock’ a music photographer known for photographing the likes of Queen, Lou Reed and David Bowie.

His work is something that really lives on for me through the artwork he made for records, his impact is everlasting especially in music.