Now That You’ve Gone and Come Back

Inspired by finding and reconnecting with his birth mother, queer Northern-Irish artist Jonathan David Smyth’s latest monograph brings together a range of mixed media and text, including a series of nude self-portraits created predominantly during the 2020 lockdown.

＂Before re-meeting my biological mother, I’d never encountered a direct physical resemblance between me and another person,＂ explains Smyth. ＂After we met, I found it nearly impossible to not see her face when I looked at myself in the mirror. This led me to think about the idea of family in its many configurations; how other people can mentor us or deter us, and how shared circumstances and stories can affect and shape us as individuals.＂

Now That You’ve Gone and Come Back features 20 nude self-portraits, 20 handwritten pieces, three original poems, and a personal essay by the artist.