“Exercise at Home” is Luke Smalley’s second major body of work. Shot in and around the tiny Pennsylvania town the artist called home, Smalley revisits themes of adolescent growing pains acted out under the guise of earnest athleticism. Teenagers compete in simple yet strange competitions meant to establish their standings amongst one another. Two youths practice boating safety procedures on a small craft that happens to be indoors. Another pair have a psychological game of tug of war. And yet other boys practice swimming strokes on a gymnasium floor. As with his previous series, Smalley painstakingly coordinated the creation of the work to the extent of often constructing his own athletic equipment, props, and costumes.
“Exercise at Home” also exists as a monograph from Twin Palms Publishers.