Events: August 9, 2025

Smith’s work traverses a spectrum of influences—from a childhood imbued with mystical and spiritual healing to ancient pictographs—creating a tapestry of personal and collective memory. Iconography derived from biology texts, diagrams, and Cold War spy manuals coexist in his compositions, offering not only a visual feast but also an energetic, intellectual dialogue.

At MOCA, the exhibition traces Smith’s artistic evolution. Early works from the Pictures era showcase his ambitiously-scaled drawings based on found images forming enigmatic, puzzle-like compositions. Another section, “Black Paintings,” draws from his studies of ancient cultures and mystery schools, and then into “Modern Paintings,” which overlay linear patterns with abstract geometries inspired by mid-century painters like Barnett Newman, Mark Tobey, and Jasper Johns.

The latter half of Smith’s career is represented through“ Color Paintings”, which feature crisp graphic imagery carved into bold, monochromatic fields, and “White Paintings” works, where erasures evoke both disappearance and emergence.

The exhibition culminates in Smith’s newest series, “Energy Paintings,” in which monumental canvases are uniquely activated with gestural and chromatic energy. These works synthesize elements from earlier series, radiating a fresh dynamism. Much like the earth’s magnetic field—generated by molten iron at its core and shielding the planet from harmful solar radiation—Smith’s “Energy Paintings” emit their own magnetism. Vibrant lines and cosmological symbols pulse across the canvases, drawing viewers into their powerful, protective embrace.

Philip Smith: Magnetic Fields will remain on view through October 5, 2025.

MOAD is proud to offer artists resources, support, and space to create in Miami. This artist residency invites the public to step into the studio and observe and interact with the artist at work, promoting conversations about process, multidisciplinary artmaking, and the role of the artist within learning institutions.

Refreshments will be served.

Free parking is available at MDC's Padron Campus flat parking lot located at 2501 SW 6TH Street, Miami, FL 33135.

In the artist's own words:

Pulling from autobiographical sources, my installations, sculpture, painting, photography, and film are very specific to my perspective as an immigrant while also addressing broader cultural concerns. As I seek to blur the line between art and life, every subject and material can be included in my work, no matter how quotidian. From the mounds of cardboard found on the factory floors of past employment which become relief sculptures, or the shopping lists quickly scribbled onto my hand that I photograph and reuse in my practice, I find truth and meaning in the overlooked. Daily encounters with text, language, and material become fodder for symbolic interpretations.

Image: Gonzalo Hernandez, Dentro de mi corazon hay otro corazon que suena, creo que ese corazon es mi verdadero corazon_LH, 2024. Jacquard Woven, 66 x 38 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.

The Museum of Art and Design (MOAD) at MDC may document the event, including its attendees. By entering the area, and/or participating in the event, you consent to the recording and its use in any form.

MOAD's programs are made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. They are sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts, and with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Miami Herald is a media sponsor of MOAD's programming.