It All Starts Here
“Why are art galleries like that?” - everyone, mostly
About September 2022, Anderson Smith says “I had no idea what I was doing.” What he was doing, exactly, was opening a small gallery along a small street in a small subset of Atlanta. The neighborhood of Buckhead had been his stomping ground for just over a decade, occupying a designer loft, meeting friends for drinks at the now closed Taverna, rubbing shoulders with performing artists at clubs and galas, photographing nightlife and the city’s culture.
In 2010, a trip to New York City with his late fiancé, Oksana, seemed to absolutely require street photography. Anderson was shooting day and night, without a clear vision of what these photos would bring, if they would ever see the light of day. Returning to Atlanta, Anderson was approached by Denise Jackson, an ex-gallerist and long time friend about a group photography exhibit, right in the middle of “Atlanta Celebrates Photography” month. It wasn’t an option to say no- Anderson had never shown in any gallery space prior, it was an endeavor no creative could resist. However, he felt there was nothing to work with. He had been toying with ideas surrounding his photography, and was on the cusp of particular style of photo-manipulation, or “Foto Fusion” as he would later coin.
Oksana and Anderson in NYC, 2011.
Mulling over possible pieces, crashing his computer on Photoshop, digging through SD cards, Anderson came to a stopping point. The photos he started considering felt forced - felt inorganic and not true to what he wished to convey for the show. After stressing and staring at the screen for days, Oksana leaned over his shoulder to peer at the monitor in front of him and made a single suggestion. “What about the New York pictures?”
Anderson sold three pieces in that show. For a first-time artist, the confidence boost and validation from the reception of his work was overwhelming and incredibly inspiring. The pieces shown there demonstrated Foto Fusion and his unique perspective on photo manipulation. He was turning empty streets into surreal collages, pasting old celebrity icons into new environments, commenting on ideas of cult of personality, capitalism and social hierarchy, along with eventually creating characters like “Miss Vanity”, all of which continue to serve as a through-line in the Anderson Smith visual narrative.
Quickly, Anderson Smith was welcomed into the creative community of Atlanta. In Buckhead, he became a local artistic personality, drawing the eyes of galleries like Buckhead Art and Company, where he’d become a staple. Selling out shows, garnering a following, it was only getting bigger. At these openings and shows, Anderson was always looking at the demographics of people, listening to the artsy chatter, witnessing the perceived exclusivity, beginning to understand the gatekept industry he now had a key to. After occupying a studio at the renowned Goat Farm Artist Complex, the owner of Buckhead Art & Co. mentioned a space she had acquired. A small studio, close to the gallery, where Anderson could work and be seen through his creative process. Smith jumped on the oppurtunity, landing a spot as an honorary gallerist while working on his own pieces. Connecting with clients through art of the gallery, making sales on behalf of the company, he kept thinking, I could do this, this could work. But if he had his own gallery, how would he run it? Who would he show? What would it be?
Anderson’s studio at the Goat Farm; A candid of Anderson shooting circa 2004.
After the devastating loss of his fiancé, Oksana, Anderson found solace in creation, and his wonderful network of friends. Oksana’s support of his artistic career had jumpstarted not only his personal artwork, but advanced the thought of opening his own gallery. To make this work, there would be endless hoops to jump through, and Anderson would often mull over the idea with his dear friend Brandon Franklin of the acclaimed B.M Franklin and Co. Hesitating on whether or not to pull the trigger on a space, Brandon was tired of hearing the back and forth in Anderson’s head. “Here’s the leasing manager’s email. I don’t want to hear about your gallery anymore, I want to see it.”
By the time September 22nd, 2022 rolled around, Anderson was indeed feeling unprepared, but confident in the way his circle of friends championed all his efforts. On that night, Gallery Anderson Smith was born and for the next three years would remain a staple of Buckhead Village.
The original Buckhead Village Gallery Anderson Smith under construction; Anderson outside the gallery with the new signage; Anderson and his daughter, Nakiyya, at the grand opening, 2022.
The gallery became known for it’s dedication to local artists, for it’s expansive visual variety, and curated receptions that any and all were welcome to. Tentative visitors would walk out as confident collectors, each guest welcomed into the space with warmth and enthusiastically educated about each work, artist, and the gallery itself. The word was spreading, the openings became bigger, the clientele caliber reaching new heights. Collectors like T.I. and Lil Baby became patrons, aiding the gallery’s legitimacy in the eyes of Atlanta as a city. Smith would continue to work in the gallery during open hours and into the night, offering clients an inside view of his creative process while surrounded by the local artists he showcased in the space. Eventually, operations expanded to two locations, the original in Buckhead and a year-long pop-up in Peachtree Corners.
Then, a hard pivot came in June of 2025. All artwork was loaded into temperature-controlled storage, walls were painted over, somber neighbors bid goodbyes. The gallery’s move was calculated, and Anderson knew that wherever he landed next, it would only be an elevation of the mission he had proclaimed when the gallery opened. It would be streets ahead in location, space, and vibe. By December of 2025, the keys to the new Midtown flagship location were dropped into Anderson’s hands. Situated a block north of The High Museum of Art, three blocks south of the SCAD Atlanta campus and just off the Arts Center MARTA station, it was simply kismet.
The private opening of Gallery Anderson Smith, Midtown Atlanta, January 2026
All the artwork living in limbo in storage was unloaded into 1401 Peachtree Street NE and onto shiny new walls. Artists as far as Nigeria and Spain sent canvases to the doorstep, local artists drove truckloads of work to adorn the space. The family of artists that Anderson had curated began to grow outward, the new location garnering international attention. The support and love of his family and friends and of the Atlanta art community Anderson came up in had finally culminated in the space he had always envisioned. Gallery Anderson Smith maintains the heart of that small white box it started in, now expanded past time zones and class structures. “It was never about me. It’s always been about the culture, about the community, and the artists. We’re keeping it that way as long as I run this shit.”
Suffice to say, Gallery Anderson Smith isn’t like other galleries. It’s your gallery.
Gallery Anderson Smith opens on January 31st, 2026.