Experience rainforest landscapes through divine femininity at ETHEREAL

The photography exhibit by Jessica Nicklen Smart invites viewers into a sense of calm and imagination

People can view Jessica Nicklen Smart's work at the Slice of Life Art Gallery Inc in Vancouver from Jan. 20 to 23. (Submitted)

People can view Jessica Nicklen Smart’s work at the Slice of Life Art Gallery Inc in Vancouver from Jan. 20 to 23. (Submitted)

ETHERAL, a photography exhibit by Jessica Nicklen Smart, is coming to the Slice of Life Art Gallery Inc in Vancouver from Jan. 20 to 23. 

Smart’s photography will allow attendees to “step into an ethereal woodland through the eyes of painted skin and the divine feminine,” an event posting for the exhibit reads. 

The exhibit features local coastal rainforest landscapes centred around tattooed women and art that adds to the story, Smart wrote in an email statement to The Runner

“I was hired by a tattoo artist to photograph one of his female client’s back pieces a couple years ago, and I felt really inspired afterwards,” she wrote. 

“Once I secured my show date so that I could do more shoots like that, the idea evolved, and I decided to combine my love for swimming and the natural world with it. These are my happy places. I feel that the back tattoos really add a level of fantasy to the landscapes.” 

The name of the show was inspired by Smart’s photography shoots as the adjective ethereal would come to mind when she would check the shots in between taking photos. 

Six different women with back tattoos are photographed in the exhibit. 

“I felt it was important that they were all female identifying, since for a long time the tattoo industry was predominantly male, and it was less common for women to have large scale back pieces,” Smart wrote. 

Photos featured in the exhibit were taken in September, and Smart spent the last four months editing them, developing film, and bringing the pieces to life with framing styles, small goods, and a short film.   

“For a lot of my photography, the meaning is more of a feeling, rather than something that can

be put into words,” Smart wrote. 

While putting together the concept for the show, Smart took inspiration from music, specifically from the American psychedelic rock band, Dead Meadow, in her art. 

“How I feel when I listen to their music is how I imagine the viewer would feel when taking in these photographs.” 

Smart hopes that attendees take away a sense of calm and imagination from the exhibit, adding that displaying art in a gallery allows the work to be appreciated on a deeper level. 

“Because of social media, a lot of art doesn’t make it past our devices,” she wrote. “As a photographer, it’s also unlike anything when you get to see your photograph on a larger scale. Galleries are key in bringing artists together and building a sense of community.” 

Smart wrote that when she shares her art with others, it “feels like [she’s] giving people a tiny window into the way [she] sees the world.”

“I grew up in Maple Ridge, spending a lot of my childhood and teen years in nature. This led to

living in Whistler for a couple years before eventually ending up in the city. My art is greatly

influenced by the natural world, with an induction of my other loves: vintage & rock n roll.”

Smart has been part of the Slice of Life Art Gallery Inc community since 2021 after vending her clothing brand Heavy Strut Apparel with her business partner Molly Jones at a market there. 

“After that we’ve continued to participate in numerous events at Slice, as well as selling our pieces in the giftshop,” she wrote. 

ETHEREAL’s opening night reception will take place on Jan. 20 from 6:00 to 10:00 pm.

To learn more about the exhibit, head to the gallery’s website. To learn more about Smart’s work, visit www.jessicanicklensmart.com.