‘The Leonard Street Project, Plant Paintings, and Data Drawings’ was a solo show of paintings and drawings by Toronto-based artist Margaux Smith. It took place in August 2019 at Independent art space 36 Claremont.

The Leonard Street Project, Plant Paintings, and Data Drawings revisits the process of research and experimentation undertaken by artist Margaux Smith as she developed visual and thematic strategies for a large-scale public installation. Smith (Toronto b. 1992) was commissioned by the social housing organization St. Clare’s Multi-faith Housing Society to create a work that would be permanently installed on the façade of 27 Leonard Street. She spent the following months responding to the project requirements by merging fine art skills she had honed as a painter with the information data science discipline of data visualization resulting in two series of highly accomplished images.

Works on display represent a blend of methodologies employed by Smith as she explored various symbolic and stylistic concepts for the work. Negotiation emerges as a constant theme, particularly regarding the what Smith calls her ‘data drawings’, where we can see content and information transform repeatedly in order to remain both legible and aesthetically strong. By presenting this collection of paintings and drawings, Leonard Street Project highlights ways artists can effectively collaborate with external organizations to both address social situations and empower individuals.

Smith Graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from OCADU in 2015 and a Master of Information from the University of Toronto in 2018.