Biography

Charis Smith (Charis Judith) is an Australian-born, Berlin-based educator and sculptor whose work explores perception, cognition, and interruption, drawing from personal experience to examine how we process and navigate the world.

Inspired by both neuroaesthetics and ancient philosophy, she explores the paradox noted by Aristotle and later phenomenologists—that we cannot observe and think simultaneously.

Her sculptures embody this tension, capturing the fluidity of thought alongside the disruptions that define human experience. Drawing on psychological theories of attention and Gestalt perception, her work invites viewers to confront the ways in which the mind constructs, fragments, and reassembles reality.

Touch as dialogue, in Greek mythology Demeter’s touch was a force that shaped the earths seasons, connecting her to both the land and her daughter Persephone. Touch forms inner dialogue, and through dialogue comes connection.

#sculpture #berlinart #carraramarble

These illuminated days have me itching to be back in studio, where I’ll soon start filming my inquiry into touch, and will be in contact with many of you interested in participating.

Borne from pure curiosity, we engage with what we seek to understand.

Film photo @omrilefou
#sculpture #berlinart #contemporaryart

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made last night so memorable.

The exhibition will remain open in the coming weeks for those who would still like to visit.
@k_a_3_2

‘Just’
21.12.24 - 4.1.25
Opening Times: 11.00-17.00
Or by request
Closed on the 25/26.12.24
Closed on the 31/1.1. 25

Early evenings have been a sacred time for learning.
It’s not so easy to work by hand in the evening, but relying less on my eyes and more on my fingertips is a way to boost my tactile acuity.

I suppose it’s sensory training.

The most serene inner city sculpture studio.

Birth of a work.
Frustration and anticipation.
Dialogue, until you can’t any longer.
Silence, until you need to hear others.
Sketches, over and over, and hours of staring.
Somewhere between intuition and analysis.

Physically, the larger works are a little more difficult to move, but being in the presence of this one? and it all makes sense.
The final months of 2024 were dedicated to completing this one work-an insight into a story I hope to tell more of in the coming year.

Photos @omrilefou

Sharing stories at the end of summer in the studio
@oritlivne
Photos @omrilefou

Mostly moved indoors for a few months, come by 🤍 I’m fully stocked with tea assortments

Preparations for an upcoming exhibition in Berlin this December🤍

Friends, I’m looking for a web designer.
Share any recommendations you may have 🙏 xx

When we decide to touch something… where do we begin?

Say, a lover’s face, do we trace the eyebrow, down the nose, along the curve of the cheekbone?
Is it from top to bottom… or bottom to top?
Sweeping motions… or back and forth.

It’s a conscious choice, with unconscious movement decisions.

I’m observing it often, as people engage with sculpture, and it’s simply beautiful.

Photo: @omrilefou

Since moving into the studio, I’ve found the stillness to truly dive into the ideas that have been shaping my work.
The quiet has given me space to explore the delicate balance between observation and thought—the flow of perception and the interruptions that reshape it, much like how we experience life itself.
I’m most curious about teachings of ancient philosophers and the flow of dreams, where observation takes precedence over conscious thought.

The changing season feels like the perfect time for this exploration into the ways we perceive, imagine, and absorb.

While each piece in this series draws from a range of influences, a touch of Oscar Wilde’s satirical edge and non-conformist views on society plays a subtle role.

As content as I am to speak of this piece, and what influenced it, what is more fascinating to me, is others interpretations.
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#art #sculpture

It’s been 4 weeks since returning from a productive visit to Yasmin Bawa’s studio in Ardeche.

It’s long been a wish to live in France, and now more than ever I feel a pull to return.

Although, I’m back & thankful for the studio in Berlin and its slow transformation.

Dearest friends,

I woke this morning with a full heart.

Thank you to the many, many friends and new faces that attended over the course of the evening yesterday.
You are treasures 💕

And if you couldn’t make it, send me a message and we can meet soon.

With love,
Charis

Studio warming

Friday August 23rd
Bautzner Platz 💕
17.00 to 20.00

Come and warm the space, say hello and share some cheer.
Friends, family and new faces xx

Softer studio spaces.
Rooms within rooms.

Open studio preparations 🪨
Excited to warm the space with friends, family and new introductions.
It won’t be quite this clean and tidy for long.
August 23rd, 18h to 20h

Slowly moving into the studio.
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Warm the space, and join for an open studio on August 23rd.

More details soon xx

I found myself spending equal amounts of time observing as I did creating this piece.
Catching my eye every time I went past, pausing to check this stone, waiting to be satisfied enough to begin polishing.

Thank you @omrilefou
Always with a camera in your hand

Keys and cleaning day at the new studio! 💫

Telling stories of ice cream & honey, milky tea and cloud formations.

Coming home from France soon.

So much to share, stay close xx

An interrupted observation.
Laviolle, Ardeche

#sculpture
#contemporaryart

Refining and balancing the surface, the slowest and most intimate of phases.

Self portrait, of sorts.

📸 @omrilefou

Sharing this stunning studio in Ardèche for a few weeks, in the mountains of Laviolle.
@yasmin_bawa

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Biography

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