I’m in this World, Doing
Vivian Smith
Caroline Galbraith Gallery
Opening Reception: March 19 from 6 to 8 pm
March 20 @ 10:00 am – May 20 @ 5:00 pm
I’m in This World, Doing is a body of work that explores the hidden systems of labour that quietly sustain our daily lives. Through mixed-media works and installations, Vivian Smith examines how unpaid care work, domestic labour, and affective labour remain economically invisible despite their essential role in supporting society. The exhibition draws attention to the intersection of the gift economy and capitalism, embedding images of unpaid work into objects that hold greater market value than the labour they depict. In doing so, Smith challenges viewers to reconsider how we assign worth, productivity, and compensation in contemporary life.
Rooted in personal documentation, the works feature photographs of the artist performing everyday tasks—cleaning, cooking, and caregiving—printed onto domestic textiles such as chiffon, satin, silk, and linen, then coated in beeswax. These materials reference both gendered expectations of care and the natural labour of worker bees. By transforming these images through hand-stitching, quilting, and sculptural installation, Smith reveals how women’s labour connects intimate home spaces to global economic systems. The exhibition ultimately advocates for recognition and systemic change, including the need for Universal Basic Income as a way to value essential work that remains unseen.
Vivian Smith is an artist based in Mohkinstsis (Calgary), Alberta. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Distinction from the Alberta University of the Arts and has participated in numerous residencies, including at the Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre and the Similkameen Artist Residency. Her work has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Calgary Arts Development Authority, and she has exhibited widely across Canada. Through her interdisciplinary practice, Smith focuses on labour, gender, and economic systems, creating work that encourages dialogue about how care, value, and community are interconnected.
