.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
“Painting is the means by which I engage the traces of personal memory. Memories are curious things, sometimes they masquerade as shadows, objects, smell or even something banal, without revealing themselves as memories…”
– Mohammed Sami.
Mohammed Sami’s poignant and evocative paintings delve into the exploration of memory and its fragility over time. Though devoid of people, the settings and everyday objects in his art are nevertheless permeated with the traces of human presence. While the evidence of turmoil or trauma is never overtly referenced, his works convey obscure and haunting narratives. Drawing from personal experiences of growing up in Iraq amidst conflict, Sami embraces ambiguity to evoke a sense of universal familiarity. By navigating the past through painting, he utilizes various mark-making techniques to disrupt a linear narrative. Blurred objects seem to dissolve or move across the canvas, suggesting gaps or distortions in memory. His compositions unfold as enigmatic vignettes of fragmented scenes, unearthed from the past.
Mohammed Sami was born in Baghdad in 1984, and lives and works in London. Having completed studies at the Institute of Fine Arts, Baghdad, he worked at the Ministry of Culture before emigrating to Sweden in 2007. Sami graduated from Belfast School of Art in 2015, and earned an MFA at Goldsmiths College, London, in 2018. Sami had a solo display entitled ‘After the Storm’ at Blenheim Palace in 2024, following a solo exhibition at Camden Art Centre, London in 2023. He has participated in group exhibitions at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2022); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2022); the Hayward Gallery, London (2021) amongst others. His paintings are held in prestigious collections including the Albright-Knox Museum, Buffalo; Arts Council Collection, London; SF MoMA, San Francisco; ICA Miami; MAMCO; Geneva and MoMA, New York.
– Mohammed Sami.
Mohammed Sami’s poignant and evocative paintings delve into the exploration of memory and its fragility over time. Though devoid of people, the settings and everyday objects in his art are nevertheless permeated with the traces of human presence. While the evidence of turmoil or trauma is never overtly referenced, his works convey obscure and haunting narratives. Drawing from personal experiences of growing up in Iraq amidst conflict, Sami embraces ambiguity to evoke a sense of universal familiarity. By navigating the past through painting, he utilizes various mark-making techniques to disrupt a linear narrative. Blurred objects seem to dissolve or move across the canvas, suggesting gaps or distortions in memory. His compositions unfold as enigmatic vignettes of fragmented scenes, unearthed from the past.
Mohammed Sami was born in Baghdad in 1984, and lives and works in London. Having completed studies at the Institute of Fine Arts, Baghdad, he worked at the Ministry of Culture before emigrating to Sweden in 2007. Sami graduated from Belfast School of Art in 2015, and earned an MFA at Goldsmiths College, London, in 2018. Sami had a solo display entitled ‘After the Storm’ at Blenheim Palace in 2024, following a solo exhibition at Camden Art Centre, London in 2023. He has participated in group exhibitions at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2022); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2022); the Hayward Gallery, London (2021) amongst others. His paintings are held in prestigious collections including the Albright-Knox Museum, Buffalo; Arts Council Collection, London; SF MoMA, San Francisco; ICA Miami; MAMCO; Geneva and MoMA, New York.