Leah Smithson
Leah Smithson is a Los Angeles based contemporary artist using both traditional and new media to explore the human condition. Using portraits that mirror an emotional state or frame of mind, rather than the likeness of a person, her work has been exhibited globally. Smithson has also collaborated with brands such as the Lakers and Apple, and is part of the 2024 cohort of NEW INC, NEW MUSEUM’s incubator for art, design, and technology.
Celebrating the alchemy of invention by honoring the women who have surpassed limitations and impacted the world for the better, Smithson’s year-long hotel exhibition, “Limitless”—on display from March 2024 and running through February-end 2025, features a fully immersive art experience that transcends time and space, both with traditional paintings and an exclusive first-ever Augmented Reality sculpture. The one-of-a-kind animated AR sculpture can be interacted with through the simple click of smartphones, tablets, and the new Apple Vision Pro, allowing viewers to fully immerse in Leah’s vision, choreographed to create a visual ASMR effect that tells the story of ‘Limitless’.
Taking inspiration from Hotel Figueroa’s storied past and inspirational female innovators, her displayed works and AR-sculpture are inspired by pioneers such as Ada Lovelace and Rosalind Franklin. Smithson employed canvas crafted from biodynamic cotton, reflecting Sally Fox’s pioneering cultivation of naturally colored, organically grown cotton plants. The historical link between textiles and innovation becomes even more intriguing when considering the role of weaving machines (the Jacquard loom) and its crucial impact in the development of computers and programming.