MICHAEL SMITH > MICHAEL 

World of Photography, 1986

A ten-step program in which aspiring photographer Mike recieves lessons from an aloof, goateed William Wegman on how to get the perfect shot.


In collaboration with William Wegman.

Mike’s Talent Show, 1989

A variety special hosted by Smith, featuring offbeat acts and performances. Taped live at The Bottom Line in New York.

Doug and Mike’s Adult Entertainment, 1991-96

Long before cable aired crude, absurdist sketch comedy on the Cartoon Network, Smith was collaborating with Doug Skinner on a risqué puppet show called Doug and Mike’s Adult Entertainment. 

Seduction of Mike, 1995

An illustrated parody of comic book history with ‘Mike’ as a Forrest Gump-like character.


In collaboration with R. Sikoryak.

Class Photos (Sears Class Portraits), 1999-

Sears Class Portraits is an ongoing photographic series that started in 1999 and will continue until Smith stops teaching. Every semester, Smith goes to a local photography studio with his students and sits for a group portrait.

Pictures Generation, 2009

This reprise of the docent-narrated biography/performance contextualizes Smith’s place within the Pictures Generation. 

Rituals of Rented Island, 2013

An exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art illuminating a radical period of 1970s performance art that flourished in downtown Manhattan, which cult figure Jack Smith once called “Rented Island.”

Glasgow International, 2014

For the 2014 Glasgow International, Smith presented his first solo exhibition in a UK institution.