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Emily Mae Smith’s exhibition Transit of Venus is on view at Petzel Gallery, featuring surreal paintings built around anthropomorphic broomsticks and other uncanny figures. A Hyperallergic review reads the broomstick as a symbol of women’s work that can become a weapon, while Smith’s imagery explores what remains hidden beneath an outwardly strong appearance.
Emily Mae Smith’s Transit of Venus, a show at Petzel Gallery, brings anthropomorphic broomsticks into surreal scenes that examine women’s work, visibility and vulnerability. A Hyperallergic review describes the broomstick as a symbol of women’s labor that becomes a weapon, and points to the paintings’ dark, technically detailed imagery as central to the exhibition.
The review identifies “Venus (Inner Vision)” (2026) as a key example. Its broomstick figure stands in a wooded landscape in a contrapposto pose, while the handle, which forms the figure’s head and torso, appears as if seen through an X-ray. The painting reveals veins and organs beneath the figure’s exterior.
Other works in the show include “Petite Muse at Work” (2026) and “Straw Woman Problem” (2026). Smith’s cast of recurring forms also includes witch-like bunnies and grapes filled with eyeballs. The review links these unusual subjects through the artist’s technical skill and a sense of darkness that lingers across the paintings.
The report says the exhibition’s title refers to the transit of Venus, an astronomical alignment in which Venus passes between Earth and the Sun and appears as a small dark spot. Hyperallergic connects that image to Smith’s interest in translucency: what goes unseen in the spotlight, the time involved in making a painting, and feelings concealed beneath a strong exterior.
Broomsticks Make Women’s Work Visible
Smith’s broomstick figures give a familiar tool associated with domestic labor a bodily presence and a more forceful role. The review’s description of the symbol becoming a weapon points to a shift in how the paintings frame women’s work: the broom is not just an object in the background but a figure that occupies the image and carries meaning.
The X-ray-like view in “Venus (Inner Vision)” adds another dimension. It makes the interior visible while the figure remains posed against a hazy landscape, setting apparent strength beside exposed vulnerability. That tension gives the exhibition’s surreal forms a clear subject beyond their strangeness: who is seen, what remains concealed, and what may lie beneath a composed exterior.
The review also foregrounds the labor of painting itself, describing the time required to make a work as part of the show’s concerns. That reading connects the paintings’ meticulous surfaces with the less visible work behind them, although the source does not quantify how long any individual painting took to complete.
The Transit Behind the Title
The transit of Venus occurs when Venus moves between Earth and the Sun from the observer’s perspective, appearing as a small dark mark against the brighter solar disk. In the review’s account, this astronomical image gives Transit of Venus a framework for thinking about light and obscured vision.
That idea carries into the paintings’ settings and figures. The woods around “Venus (Inner Vision)” are described as hazy, and the central figure’s body is rendered with unusual transparency. Smith combines that imagery with brooms, bunnies and eyeball-filled fruit rather than presenting the subject through realistic scenes of work. The review treats the surreal forms as part of the exhibition’s visual language, not as literal depictions of events.
“What might not appear in the spotlight”
— Hyperallergic review
Exhibition Dates and Artist Intent
The source material does not provide the exhibition’s opening or closing dates, visitor information, or a statement from Smith or Petzel Gallery. Its account of the show’s themes is the reviewer’s interpretation; the available material does not establish whether Smith has described the broomsticks as weapons or explained the paintings’ meanings in those terms.
The review names several works and describes selected imagery, but it does not give a complete checklist or detailed account of every painting. It also does not specify the methods or time involved in producing individual works.
Petzel Gallery Show Details
Readers seeking practical details can check Petzel Gallery’s current exhibition listing for dates and visiting information, which are not included in the source material. The Hyperallergic review offers an account of selected works, but no further exhibition events, artist statements or upcoming milestones were provided.
Key Questions
What is Emily Mae Smith’s Transit of Venus?
It is an exhibition at Petzel Gallery featuring Smith’s surreal paintings, including works dated 2026. The source material does not state the exhibition dates.
What does the broomstick represent in the review?
The Hyperallergic review reads the broomstick as a symbol of women’s work that takes on a more forceful role in Smith’s paintings.
What is shown in “Venus (Inner Vision)”?
The 2026 painting shows a broomstick figure standing in a hazy wooded landscape. Its handle-like head and torso appear transparent, revealing veins and organs.
Why is the show called Transit of Venus?
The review says the title refers to the astronomical alignment in which Venus passes between Earth and the Sun and appears as a small dark spot. It connects that image to light, visibility and translucency in the paintings.
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