Smashbox Cosmetics launches artist residency programme

Smashbox Cosmetics has announced the launch of a residency programme at its Los Angeles studio, which sees it support a handful of artists through a group exhibition.

Through its four-week incubator programme, Smashbox Open Studios provided three artists with the resources and space to create and showcase individual projects, which were presented during a collective show.

Alongside provided resources, participants were also introduced to cosmetic industry veterans who provided guidance on photography, branding and design.

Artists invited into the programme included Uzumaki Cepeda, who uses faux fur environments to communicate beauty ideals, LA’s Randijah Simmons, who presented a portrait series centred on the practices of erasing Black women, and Gabriela Ruiz, who explored beauty ideals from an altered point of view.

In a release, Davis Factor, founder and SVP of global creative at Smashbox, said: “I wanted to create a culture. Not just a studio. I didn’t want to exclude anybody. I wanted to plant a seed so people could grow, and that meant everyone was welcome.”