A Window To Hackney: Meet Sam

So…who are you?

Hello! I’m Sam, an artist based in London. I’ve always been creative, but I really got into art when I began doing street art around 18 years old. This then transformed into a more studio based practice when I moved to London 6 years ago. 

As a personality, I would describe myself as a outgoing introvert, I like being around people, but I draw my energy internally. 

Why do you create? 

I think there is a logical part, an urge to translate ideas I am interested in or that I think are important into a medium others can experience. Then there is the obsessive part, just an incessant desire to create, I’m always thinking about the next painting. 

What kind of artist would you describe yourself as/what modality do you work with? 

A painter! Ive experimented with other mediums, and will do in the future, however it always comes back to paint for me. 

The theme for the Kip Wall is ‘connection’, what does connection mean to you?

Connection is very relevant to my art and life. To me, it mean finding ways to  connect to yourself through certain practices or activities, or the human urge to connect with others through physical and mental interaction and relationships.

Connection is also a very relevant topic in light of lockdowns and increased digitisation, more on that below! 

Breakfast of choice and why? 

Haha, porridge or granola with frozen berries and peanut butter! Light but yummy! 

Tell us about the piece you created for Kip Wall…

The idea for these works began at the beginning of the pandemic. As face to face interaction was replaced by the virtual, my work began to explore the shift of subjective experience from physical to digital realm. 

The paintings themselves combine chiaroscuro techniques inspired the old masters with sheen fades and fragmentation of the figure, traversing the boundary between the embodied and the simulated. 

At its root is an exploration of subjectivity within the digital age. The works process how digitisation has changed how we exist and interact. The figures represent both a search for human connection or meaning, and a coming to terms this new hybrid world, simultaneously isolated yet hyper connected.

Take us back to the first time you ‘created’ something, how did it feel/what was it? 

My earliest creative memory was probably creating a lego catamaran around 5 years old. I think I always had an urge to build elaborate things! 

Would you like to see more from Sam? Sam has an exhibition opening 3rd March! The exhibition is called 'We Will Meet Again' and will be taking place at Netil House, 1 Westgate Street, E8 3RL. Running 01.03.22-20.03.22. Make sure to get down there to check it out.