When the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) celebrates this weekend’s opening of a new exhibition by an up-and-coming artist, the guests at the shindig won’t include the artist himself. That’s because artist Orlando Smith will be 16 miles away, locked in San Quentin Rehabilitation Cen ter. Smith, who also goes by the name O. Smith, is the first incarcerated artist to hold a solo exhibition in the modern art museum, which opened in 1935. Smith has made a name for himself outside prison walls with his graphic art drawings, which tell poignant stories about life within the prison system as well as national and international politics. “So far I’ve done about 50-something graphic novels,” Smith said by phone from the prison. The gallery show features drawings and posters by Smith, done in his comic book style. “I was in sixth grade the first time I saw the original King Kong versus Godzilla,” Smith said. “And I wanted to draw that King Kong.” Artist Orlando Smith has spent the last 30 years in prison. An exhibition of his graphic arts drawings opens this weekend in SFMOMA. Smith began drawing in the sixth grade growing up in South Central Los Angeles, inspired by Marvel Comics and Batman movies. He drew all the time, even entering a few art contests. As a young adult, he was pinstriping cars when his clients began to pay him in drugs. He began using and selling crack cocaine, which became a gateway into burglaries. In and out of prison, he eventually earned eight life sentences through California’s Three Strikes Law. “From there I went into criminality and it landed me here,” Smith said. Behind prison walls, art became his escape. His illustrations documented life in prison, the plight of older prisoners, as well as what he called “protest posters,” which touched on societal issues in and out of prison. When the pandemic hit San Quentin, forcing more than two years of lockdown, Smith turned to his pens to tell the stories. Every day alarms went off, cries of “man down” as COVID ravaged the prison. His art veered into the realm of illustrative journalism. “I just started documenting my daily actives, what I seen, how unprepared the entire world was for the pandemic,” Smith said. Smith’s images, which he’d mail to friends, began to appear in art shows around the Bay Area, aided by Empowerment Avenue, a group that uses art, journalism and film to create opportunities for people in prison. Smith’s art grabbed the attention of SFMOMA curator Nancy Lim, who arranged for his solo show in the museum. A self-portrait in prison is part of Orlando Smith’s art exhibition opening this weekend in SFMOMA. “Orlando’s work has been on view around the country and the Bay Area for a number of years now,” said Lim, who first saw Smith’s art in 2021. “I realized how extraordinary it would be to be able to see his works in concentration.” The exhibit features some 50 of Smith’s works, touching on themes of racial inequality, civil rights abuses and what he sees as failures of the prison system. Smith recently had his sentence readjusted and now has the potential for parole. He said in recent years he came to grips with his own childhood trauma and the regret for his victims. Now, his steps toward rehabilitation will also include an exhibition in a major art gallery. “It’s an opportunity, that’s a blessing,” Smith said. “I’m just grateful.” The exhibit opens Friday and runs through June 27, 2027. ...read more read less