About the Exhibit

Jacob Evan Smith (aka MazySuzan) is ecstatic to present his first-ever solo exhibit "Mazes & Tangles" at Disco Walls in Hamtramck. In this body of work, Smith explores the boundaries of maze design and tangled line work with a variety of playful illustrations.

Throughout the exhibit, he challenges commonly held expectations of the standard form and purpose of a maze, a design form that dates back thousands of years. "Mazes & Tangles" stretches the imagination with meandering paths that beg the question: “What if there’s no beginning or end?” Whether using the maze as a metaphor to capture the essence of the divided self (as in "Us & Them" or "Donut of Life") or simply as an invitation to play (as in "Spiral Maze" or "Creature Tangle"), Smith maintains a whimsical freedom throughout his designs that reflects his own approach to life. He often contrasts his complex, amorphous shapes with much simpler ones (as in "Triangle Tangle" or "Spaceship 1 & 2"), reminding the viewer that like a photo of Earth from space, when we look closely at anything, we find complexity; and when we zoom out far enough, everything appears simple.

Commenting on the digital era we find ourselves in, nearly all of the designs in this exhibit were created at a small scale by hand, pen on paper, then digitally enhanced, enlarged, and printed onto canvas. By presenting digital illustration in a tactile, traditional format, Smith enthusiastically blurs the line between digital and physical art.

As an appreciative admirer and consumer of Detroit’s thriving art community, Smith will donate 5% of proceeds from "Mazes & Tangles" to Arts & Scraps, a Detroit-based nonprofit that uses recycled materials to help people of all ages and abilities think, learn, and create.

See exhibit catalog for purchasing info.