With no formal training in art or architecture he uses a natural ability to gauge perspective and scale without measuring tools. Germantown artist Kambel Smith, currently curated by the Marlborough Museum builds large-scale, intricate sculptures of historical buildings out of cardboard collected from trash. His ability to see and recreate scale quickly propelled him into the world of fine art.
Kambel's pieces have sold for upwards of $25,000 and have been purchased by the American Folk Art Museum, The West Collection, and various private investors including a Texas collector who purchased his sculpture of the Philadelphia Eagles Lincoln Financial Field for an undisclosed amount.
I am proud to say I am an artist. Although my journey has been a complicated one, it gives me peace of mind and heart to realize I have always been an artist. The spoken word has never been my preferred method of communication, so my challenge is to create art that expresses my passion and clearly speaks to others. This challenge is met by my inexhaustible desire to recreate the world around me through my lens. By using works of art to express how I see the world I hope to impact the way others see it as well.
I don't remember the most defining moment of my life, but one thing that's very clear is how angry I was. Maybe the anger is the reason why I can't recall what happened, but my father believes it was the moment that saved my life.
In my bedroom, he found a pile of crumpled papers. They were drawings expressing my view of the world through actual enemies in battle with superhumans I created to help me fight them. I hid the drawings because they symbolized the world that would not accept me, but for my father they uncovered a talent that would ultimately change my life.
He began to create stories about the characters in my drawings. Those stories opened up a whole new world for me. In the years following, we created dozens of new characters, published four novels, created an animated motion picture, and accumulated over 400 paintings and drawings, but little did I know this was just the beginning of my artistic journey.
“An Autisarian is a person born with super-human abilities due to the condition called autism. My family created a non-profit organization dedicated to changing the face of autism by changing the attitude of those challenged by the so-called disorder. The Autisarian symbol serves as a beacon of light for the growing wave of autistic super-humans.”
The Autisarian Network was created to change the face of autism by encouraging those who suffer from its negative effects to find and learn to use the superhuman ability that may be hidden inside. We welcome you to join us as we ride and redefine the spectrum in search of the hidden gift.
Meet Kambel Smith, a 32-year-old self-taught artist with autism whose large and intricate cardboard sculptures of Philadelphia buildings are gaining attention in the art world.
Philadelphia City Council and the Philadelphia Eagles Recognizes Artist Kambel Smith for Autism Awareness Month.
Survivor vs Lungar is the first book co-written by Kambel Smith,, Copyrighted in 2010.
When humankind causes a balance shift the Autisarians dispatch agents of chaos to decrease Earth's population-co-written by Kambel Smith.