Seconds

Samantha Haring

May 7 - June 6

SouthsidexSide Artist Talk (5:30) and Opening Reception (immediately following talk until 8 PM)

Thursday, May 7

ARTIST STATEMENT

I make quiet paintings in a noisy world. My work is an intimate meditation on humble objects and

the detritus of studio life. I aim to promote a reengagement with the mundane while creating a

moment of reflection for the viewer.

The artist’s studio is full of memory; its history is evident in the residue layered on the walls and

floor, as well as in the dusty objects scattered around the room. These remnants serve as a

metaphor for the imprints people leave behind on each other and on the world. By painting

forgotten corners, blank expanses, and abandoned objects, I explore the duality of absence and

presence while questioning the intangibility of loss.

My current work is a series of portraits of packing materials and other containers. I’m interested in

contemplating things we use to fill empty space as well as the objects designed specifically to hold

– either tightly or loosely. The language of “holding” encompasses everything from containment, to

a fierce hug, to the concept of holding space for something or someone. This series of paintings is

largely about the multiplicity of experience. The repetition of objects under different lighting

conditions, rendered with different palettes, speaks to the way we can experience the same

situation and come away with entirely different interpretations of reality. Clarity can be found in the

nuances of repetition, of hearing the same story told from different perspectives to deepen our

understanding and wrestle with complexity. I am forever striving to make the invisible visible.