TIFF exhibition celebrates the makeup and effects artistry of Gordon Smith

Pam Fossen No comments

Yes, it’s only a month until TIFF starts, but you need something to look forward to in the meantime. TIFF’s got just the ticket, bringing Toronto some pre-festival fun with the opening of their new exhibition, X-Men Master: Gordon Smith. It starts on Friday, August 17, 2012 and runs until the end of March 2013.

This free exhibition celebrates the makeup and special effects wizardry of Ontario’s own Gordon Smith. He’s been working his craft for over 30 years, contributing to films like Dead Ringers, Jacob’s Ladder, Nixon, Natural Born Killers, Born on the Fourth of July and Legends of the Fall, among others. But Gordon Smith’s most well-known work to date has been his groundbreaking artistry in Bryan Singer’s X-Men and X2. I ask you, where would characters like Mystique, Wolverine, Sabretooth and Nightcrawler be without Smith’s amazing silicone prosthetic technology?

Toronto Film Scene spent some time with Smith last year with a series of film screenings and talks at The Revue Cinema. Before you head off to see the exhibition, take some time to find out more about this fascinating man’s life, career and work with these great interviews by Carmen Albano in parts one, two and three of our talks with Smith.

X-Men Master allows visitors to take a look at the development of Smith’s processes, and shines the spotlight on seven of the X-Men characters. Coinciding with the opening, TIFF will also be running some special screenings of X-Men and X2 on August 16 and 18, 2012. Watch ‘em on screen, and then come to the exhibition to check out how Gordon Smith brought all those characters to life.

The X-Men Master: Gordon Smith exhibition runs from August 17, 2012 to March 31, 2013 at TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King Street West). Admission is free. For dates and hours of operation, or any other details, please visit tiff.net.

Pam Fossen

Obsessed with watching movies as far back as she can remember, Pam loves film enough to have two university degrees in the subject. When not focused on a movie screen, she can usually be found reading, cooking, touring vineyards, or planning where to spend her vacation time.