T.K.O.

About T.K.O.

T.K.O. is a boxing term that stands for ‘technical knock-out' meaning, the ending of a fight by the referee on the grounds of one contestant's inability to continue.

Roch Smith’s boxer stands on a small wooden block, is cast in bronze, casually dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and running shoes, boxing gloves on, arms by his side as if he’s about to enter the ring. The Toronto artist will often use toys—small figures he re-envisions in thoughtful and imaginative ways.

“When I was at art school in Vancouver, I started to use my GI Joe in photographs and sculptures and he became a way to speak about play, masculinity and memory.” Roch Smith

He received a BFA (Honours Sculpture) from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design (ECIAD - 1997) and an MFA from York University (2003). A teacher as well as an artist, he has taught classes at the University of Waterloo, ECIAD and York University. He currently manages and operates the bronze and aluminum foundry at York University. Roch Smith has exhibited throughout Canada and in the US. His work is included in private, corporate and museum collections.