Since early childhood Corinne Smith, who also goes by Critty Smitty, has been sensitive to the unknown. Suffering from night terrors, sleep paralysis and, sometimes, a strange difficulty in distinguishing between what is real and what isn’t, Smith is of the notion that maybe it all lies somewhere in between. With the use of Silene Capensis root, also known as the African dream root, the Oakland-based artist has been practicing guided meditation and dream re-entry to access powerful dreams that provide knowledge and symbolism to establish further connection to the divine ancestral lineage and to promote healing.

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Smith utilizes dream re-entry, intuitive plant medicine, and color as a medium to cultivate a deeper relationship with difficult aspects of self, revealing prolific mythologies in spiritual realms. Paintings, illustrations, risographs, and animations offer a peek behind the curtain at the etheric process to discover self and ancestors, utilizing non-colonial ways of knowledge. Corinne Smith: Silene Capensis is presented in conjunction with MoAD’s 2024-25 Emerging Artists Program, which highlights local, emerging, and mid-career visual artists and art collectives through solo exhibitions that reflect the cultural and artistic richness of the African diaspora.

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Community access and participation is an important component of Corrine Smith’s art practice. Smith has exhibited in solo and group shows including Revori and Revori Artist Talk at San Francisco Public Works Salon (San Francisco) represented by Rowan Coughlin of Slate Gallery, Local Content at E14 Gallery (Oakland), Friends of Irrelevant Press at Aggregate Gallery (Oakland), and Queer Expo at Clay Clubhouse (Oakland). Her art books and zines are represented by Irrelevant Press (CA & NY). She has participated in a panel discussion on the arts at Shack 15 in partnership with Oakland Art Murmur. Smith’s murals are on view throughout the Bay Area, including murals for 826 Valencia, Tenderloin Community Benefit District (TLBD),the Ferry Building, Shack15, SBVRSL, Oakland Unified School District, and Touchstone. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art from University of Michigan and previously ran a shop and creative space in downtown Oakland, CA.