Patti Smith talks Camera Solo

Music icon Patti Smith held court at Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario this morning, introducing members of the press to her solo exhibition of 70 photographs and personal mementos.

Dubbed Camera Solo, the lovely Polaroids intertwine images of the gravesites and belongings of people like Arthur Rimbaud, Walt Whitman, Frida Kahlo and Leo Tolstoy with family and self-portraits and items that Smith has found both historically and personally significant. From portraits of tombs to typewriters and slippers, as well as shots of her kids sleeping, Smith’s photos are compelling and artful.

“All my life, the handiwork of other people has kept me going and inspired me,” she said during the press conference. “As a book lover, I’ve always cherished writers and, whether it’s architects, scientists, musicians, gardeners, cooks, the maid in my hotel — I cherish the work of other people. It’s endlessly interesting and exciting to document the tools of people who create. Their resting places, their beds — it enriches my vocabulary.”

“When I’m on the road, there’s a lot of repetition and it’s a great thing to know that, after 20 concerts, on Monday I’m going to see Tolstoy’s bicycle and Wednesday I’m going to visit the grave of Yeats — these things are meaningful to me,” she added. “Because I travel so much and have the unique opportunity to see these things, it’s a way to share them with other people. The last photograph I took was of Neil Young’s guitar, [“Old Black”]. That guitar is a holy relic and has created some of the greatest songs, performances, solos — it’s synonymous with rock ‘n’ roll. So, these are important things for our cultural voice.”

Patti Smith answers questions at the AGO (Vish Khanna/CBC Music)

Camera Solo was originally curated by Susan L. Talbott, the director and CEO of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Conn., and will be on display at the AGO until May 19. It is the first such exhibit of Smith’s work in Canada, and Toronto wasn’t chosen randomly.

“I’ve always loved Toronto,” Smith said. “I remember the very first time I came here [in the '70s] and it had the spirit of old, English Beatles film or something. There was such a great energy and the people were so cool. In the '80s, when I lived in Detroit with my husband, he was a Tigers fan and I got into [pitcher] Jack Morris. When Jack Morris came to Toronto, we would come over and watch him play. We would come to the symphony and come to Toronto in various ways.

“But this is extremely special for me,” she added. “It encompasses everything really and I’m so very proud of this exhibition and to be welcomed seriously as an artist, independent of my records and performances. I feel like my work has been looked upon as it is, unattached to anything else. So, it’s a good relationship I think.”

Beyond Camera Solo, Smith has a busy schedule in Toronto. The AGO has a book signing with Smith at noon on March. 7. That same evening, the museum presents Patti Smith: An Evening of Words and Song, two sold-out live concert appearances with an early and a late show featuring Smith and her band.

On March 8, the AGO screens the documentary Patti Smith: Dream of Life in a sold-out presentation, featuring Smith and director Steven Sebring in discussion immediately after. And then finally, Smith and her band play the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on March 9 for a sold-out concert commemorating the life of Smith’s close friend and muse, Robert Mapplethorpe, who died on March 9, 1989.

Follow Vish Khanna on Twitter: @vishkhanna