NOSE DIVE
MaY 22 - JUNE 28, 2025

PRESS RELEASE

NOSE DIVE
Lee Smith & Elijah Anderson
May 22 - June 28, 2025

Ruby/Dakota is thrilled to present Nose Dive, a concurrent duo exhibition with Stretch Mark, hung

in the Annex, featuring works by Lee Smith and Elijah Anderson.

A nose dive is a plunge into the depths, often with a connotation of failure. A fall from grace. An aging debutant after her 29th year. A professional skateboarder set on the high life, crashing out from all the partying. A plane coming down to earth too fast.

An artist is an athlete. One wrong move in the early days, and your career could be cooked. With so many creative pursuits, we are playing a game of chess hoping for a royal flush.

And yet, art veers from sports. Art exists in the safety of solitude. Art does not require an audience for total profundity. It can exist in both the shadows and the light.

Elijah Anderson and Lee Smith inhabit similar spaces, separated by materials, years and many miles. They come together in this room, not to fail individually but to progress, together. To step up to the plate, stare down the barrel, and send it.

A core tenant of skateboarding culture is alone-together. A solo journey that you take with your friends. A love that is rooted in the genuine desire to see your brother succeed.

No one knows what’s on the other side of a hill or a wave or a career other than unavoidable change. And yet, we continue to do what pushes us forward, even if it can feel like we’re standing still.

Water breaks, releasing negative ions into the air, resulting in a positive vibe. That’s physics. Or maybe it’s chemistry. It’s the moon.

A mixed metaphor for anyone who knows something about caring too much and going for it, nose-first.

The only way out of this hell is through it, unafraid, hand in hand.
Emerging, gasping for air.
The end is the beginning, an outcome that defies success— a space to finally breathe.

LEE SMITH: Embarking on the vibrant and sometimes perilous streets of 90’s San Francisco, Lee Smith navigated a dynamic era, finding inspiration in the renowned plaza, "The Embarcadero." His teenage years were marked by a passion for skateboarding and the eclectic group that gathered there. Though initially drawn to graffiti and drawing, Lee's trajectory took a twist as he chose a path as a professional skateboarder, traversing the globe in his early twenties.

In an unexpected turn at the start of 2021, Lee found himself clearing out the studio of artist Jean-Philippe Delhomme, who hastily departed New York due to the onset of COVID. A serendipitous bequest of art supplies from Delhomme reignited Lee's personal painting practice.

Through his art, Lee Smith crafts a narrative of the idler, the urban explorer, and the street connoisseur, weaving a tapestry of rich associations that resonate with the essence of his experiences. His creative voice has also extended into notable collaborations with Chocolate Skateboards, Krooked Skateboards, Resol Mezcal, and Push Hasselt.

ELIJAH ANDERSON is a visual artist and illustrator living in Brooklyn, New York.
From an early age, Elijah cultivated a passion for skateboarding, surfing, graffiti, and music, with music becoming a primary focus throughout his highschool and college years. In 2016, he graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Humanities, with primary focuses in Art History and Human Rights.

Since then, Elijah has established himself as a self-taught artist and illustrator in New York. His work spans collaborations with a diverse array of brands and agencies, including POPEYE Magazine, Adidas, and New Balance. He continues to explore and expand his creative vision through personal studio projects, art shows, pop ups, residencies, and more.

Please join us at the gallery Thursday, MAY 22 for an Opening Reception, 6-8PM