Stefan Smith

Stefan Smith is an English born, Australian artist who has divided his time between the East and West coasts of Australia. Currently residing in Perth, Western Australia, Stefan has a Masters of Visual Art from Sydney College of the Arts (University of Sydney), which he completed in 2008. His thesis, ‘Corporate Sponsorship in Contemporary Art’ is the culmination of his research masters and examines the relationship between sponsorship and art.

Having had a passion for art his whole life, Stefan first embarked on a career in the commercial arts, training originally as a graphic designer and working as a photographer in the commercial media. Switching to fine art studies and then continuing on his journey as a contemporary artist, lead to his area of practice and research, which explores the relationship between advertising and art by utilising his sponsor’s logos and products to express his artistic ideas.

Stefan has staged a number of large-scale installations, solo and group exhibitions in Sydney and regional NSW. His work raises the profile of contemporary art through his corporate partnerships and makes the arts accessible to the broadest audience, with works that relate to and mirror the wider community’s interests.

In an environment where money talks and art plays second fiddle, Stefan hopes to encourage greater corporate participation in the arts, by directly involving his sponsors in the production and facilitation of his art works.