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Untitled work by Bob and Roberta Smith, installed as part of Framing Fraktur at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Courtesy of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Questions of Practice: Artist Bob and Roberta Smith on Virtuosity

Questions of Practice: Artist Bob and Roberta Smith on Virtuosity

Artist Bob and Roberta Smith creates work in what he calls the “communicative realm,” from hand-painted slogans to social media campaigns. When asked if he considers this work virtuosic, he explained that he thinks of his campaigns as pieces of music, combining interrelated parts into a broader scheme.

Artist Bob and Roberta Smith on virtuosity in his work, in conjunction with Framing Fraktur at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Filmed at The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage on March 3, 2015.

Bob and Roberta Smith, also known as Patrick Brill, is a British contemporary artist working in text, persona, and public space. He is a trustee for the National Campaign for the Arts, and an Associate Professor at London Metropolitan University. Smith’s work is part of the Center-funded Framing Fraktur at the Free Library of Philadelphia, which exhibits contemporary text-based art alongside historical Pennsylvania German fraktur.