In 1968, in a New York loft on the Upper West Side, rented by the surrealist painter William Copley, many artists met with the aim of making their work known in the form of multiple miniatures. As a permanent place of improvisation, this loft became the epicenter of artistic creation at the time. Gathered under the collective S.M.S. (Shit Must Stop), a name given in reaction to the powerful lobbies of critics, curators, gallery directors and collectors who then controlled the art world at that time, the idea was to make accessible the art to all by sending the collective's subscribers a heterogeneous portfolio filled with varied multiples of various artists ranging from stars of contemporary art to artists who have now fallen into oblivion.

S.M.S. is a wonderful snapshot of the art of the time and the energy of New York at the end of the 60s. The collective's desire is to combine Art and Utopia, by banishing the barriers between the arts and the media and the established order of museums and galleries. No distinction is made between the artists themselves and as such each of the participating artists received only $100 for their work. No artistic direction was imposed, giving free rein to the pure creative freedom of each of the participants.
By sending their portfolios by post, S.M.S. participants affirm loud and clear that their works were accessible and rooted in everyday life. A wind of freedom and emancipation from the system that has never been more understandable than today.