Sam Messenger:

Sam Messenger (b. 1980, London) lives and works in London. Messenger’s practice is one of poetic potential. His drawings begin with a series of rules and conditions which he imposes upon himself in order to fulfil the project. The rules cannot change half way through in order to repeat a past result or produce a more aesthetically pleasing outcome, so these initial decisions determine how the drawing will progress, yet they can never predict what the finished work will look like. The artistic journey is one of physical and temporal surrender to the finished surface of the work. Select solo exhibitions include Horizon, ADAA The Art Show, New York, USA (2017); 13 Cycles, Davidson Contemporary, New York, USA (2016); Fracture, Davidson Contemporary, New York, USA (2014); Early Drawings, Davidson Contemporary, New York, USA (2014); Six Veils, Davidson Contemporary, New York, USA (2011); and Straightedge, Davidson Contemporary, New York, USA (2008). Select group exhibitions include Dot, Dash, Dissolve, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, USA (2016); Important Works on Paper, Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, USA (2015); Line: Making the Mark, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA (2014); Paper Jam, Neuberger Museum of Art, New York, USA (2014); Abstract Drawing, curated by Richard Deacon, Drawing Room, London (2014); Four Decades, John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco (2014); Textility, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, New Jersey, USA (2012); Contemporary Watercolour, curated by Veronica Roberts, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, USA (2012); The Art of Collecting, Flint Institute of Arts, Michigan, USA (2011); 40 Artists-80 Drawings, Burton Art Gallery and Museum, Devon (2011); Reflections on a Museum, Williams College Museum of Art, Massachusetts, USA (2011); Now WHAT?, Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA (2010); Contained Thoughts, The Courtauld Institute of Arts, London (2009); Straightedge, Davidson Contemporary, New York, USA (2008); You Silently (Two), The Courtauld Institute of Arts, London (2008); and Blink, Cut + Repeat, The Courtauld Institute of Arts, London (2008). His work is held in public collections including Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, Massachusetts; and Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island.  
 

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