On Friday January 23rd 2009, Galería Tomás March is opening a new exhibition featuring recent work by Tanja Smit (Voorburg, Holland, 1961). This exhibition showcases new paintings, drawings and watercolours that evoke recognition in the strange and the exceptional in figures rendered with simple brushstrokes, different layers and veils charged with multiple meanings. Following the conceptual influence underpinning all of Smit’s work, the idea behind the art takes on paramount importance, rivalling with the artefact in itself. Tanja Smit’s work is unframed to ensure an unencumbered appreciation of its layered composition, its delicate texture and the artist’s highly personal use of colour. Playing with the various connotations of the word, Smit has called her show “Strangers”, opening up frontiers to a parallel world where apparently decontextualised landscapes, animals, objects and human figures suggest various associations and invite us to reflect on the tensions between the conscious and the unconscious, figuration and abstraction, reality and fiction. Tanja Smit currently lives between Holland and Barcelona. This is her third show at Galería Tomás March (following her exhibitions in 1999 and 2003) and she has also had one-person shows at Galería Mas Art, Barcelona (2007), Nau Côclea, Camallera (2006) for which she published the artist’s book Libro de Fantasmas, Espai E-Art, Barcelona (2004), Maurits van de Laar, The Hague, Holland (1993, 1999, 2004), Doble Espacio, Madrid (1998) and Sala 22A, Barcelona (1998). She has also had work on view in various group exhibitions including: “Posibilidad de acción, la vida de la partitura” at the Documentation Centre at MACBA (Museu d’Arte Contemporani de Barcelona) (2008), “De Stand Van Zaken”, stroom hcbk, The Hague (2003), “Vosté està açí” (Trienal de Barcelona) at Palau de Virreina (2002) and “Stadscollectie”, Gemeentemuseum, The Hague (1996).