I Believe in Joseph Mallard William Turner

Smith’s work spans a variety of genres; painting, performance, music and even cookery and Do-It-Yourself, infused with a subversive humour. By combining such diverse media with the language styles of alternative protest movements, folk and punk, Bob and Roberta Smith attempts to challenge established authorities and values, and encourage creativity in people. Many past projects and performances have involved participatory elements, sharing similarities with the Fluxus movement of the 1960s.

Bob and Roberta Smith's text paintings are shabbily made, using random coloured 'drop shadow' letters, and are full of hilarious misspellings. They tell stories featuring exalted figures from the world of art, music or politics involved in incongruous scenarios, which reveal them to be as susceptible to misfortune and humiliation as the rest of us. I believe in Joseph Mallard William Turner (1998) contains a misspelling which suggests some relation between the revered landscape artist and a type of duck, but in dispelling the myth no cynicism is intended and the work still functions as a celebration.