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Welcome, have fun exploring, and feel free to drop a note if you have any questions 

PAINTINGS

NEW WORK

EVENTS

Isabel Samaras

 

Known for lush and meticulously painted riffs on Old Masters that feature pop culture icons of the past, Isabel Samaras’ ribald images are woven with references to classic horror movies, ancient mythologies, cherished TV characters, tribal societies, and childhood fairy tales. Magical realism and the forbidden fantasies of fabled characters frolic in a world where elusive desires become reality, re-imagining ill-fated journeys that turn into enchanted honeymoons. A common thread that runs through much of Samaras’ work like a red string tied to her heart is that of love: maternal affection, romantic devotion, illicit enchantments, tender yearnings, unrequited passion, and the idea that everyone, even monsters or disembodied hands can find someone to love them. Her painted narratives, classical in technique and pop in content, often revolve around issues of making things end the way we wish they would. Exploring “What if?” and “Why not?” she brings human desires and foibles to fictional characters, studying the human condition through the eyes of popular culture by jamming old and new together in the visual equivalent of a mash-up song. 

ABOUT

EXHIBITIONS 2016

 

 

January:
Fade To Black
Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA



February:
In Our Veins
Nuvango Gallery, Toronto, Canada



April:
Last Gasp Anniversary Show
111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA



November:
Napoleon Complex
AFA Gallery, New York, NY

 

 

Past Events>

ARCHIVE

ARCHIVE

The_Infirmary.jpg

The_Infirmary.jpg

PRESS

"Now Subverting: Isabel Samaras" on the New York Times blog:

By Andy Port / May 19, 2009

 

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"The Pop Culture Genius of Isabel Samaras" on KPBS:

By Angela Carone / Wednesday, April 29, 2009 

 

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"Happy Endings with Isabel Samaras" on KQED: 

By Ben Marks / November 6, 2012

 

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"Isabel Samaras Goes Into the Woodz" on NBC Bay Area: 

 

 

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"Artist Profile Series: Isabel Samaras" on the Warholian:

WARHOLIAN / June 8, 2011

 

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"The Cartwheel Interview with Isabel Samaras" on CARTWHEEL: 

By Keith Dugas / October 29, 2012

 

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"Making A Better Yesterday Today: Isabel Samaras" on Laughing Squid:

By Justin Page / November 1, 2012

 

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"Preview: Isabel Samaras" on High Fructose: 

By Nastia Voynovskaya / October 31, 2012

 

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MORE PRESS>

PRESS

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CONTACT

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