Artist Statement
Samuel Xun (b. 1994 Singapore) is an interdisciplinary visual artist based in Singapore. His practice is centred around the exploration of queer identity, self-therapy, and introspection through sculpture, context-based installation, and textile composition. His works delve into the complex interplay of emotionality, cognisance, and aesthesis, often through the examination of cultural and personal symbols, frequently inspired by film, cultural milieus, and personal narratives.
Samuel’s oeuvre focuses on the intricacies of self-discovery and individuality, and the complexities of the human psyche. Positing the use of colour, texture, and text as a means to convey humanistic resolutions to societal discourse, Samuel's works endeavour to solicit introspection and contemplation of the spectator's social condition, and question our motivations towards personal resolution. With a sophisticated and nuanced approach to materials and subject matter, Samuel invites us to re-evaluate the narratives we construct for ourselves and the impact they have on our world view.
Drawing from his background in Fashion, Samuel's art is marked by a meticulous and deeply entrenched relationship with materials. His creative process is labour-intensive and serves as a meditative reflection on realities from past and present. This intimate relationship with materials is reflected in his signature ornamentation of surfaces and use of sugary palettes across his body of work, often taking the form of intricate and abstract visual systems that are open-ended in nature. Ultimately, Samuel is interested in how art can provide catharsis, facilitate empathy, preserve culture, and foster better interaction within and across different groups of society.
Samuel is a graduate from LASALLE College of the Arts, holding a BA in Fashion Design & Textiles. His recent exhibitions include a participation at ART SG 2023 with Richard Koh Fine Arts, and group exhibitions There Are Flowers in the Morning Mist, Supper House, Singapore (2023), State of Play, Richard Koh Fine Arts, Singapore (2022), Veneer & Visage, Supper House, Singapore (2022), It’s my party & I’ll cry if I want to, The Projector, Singapore (2022), and only losers left alive, Yeo Workshop, Singapore (2021). Samuel and his work have also been published in South China Morning Post, VOGUE Singapore, The Straits Times, ELLE Singapore, Female, L’OFFICIEL, MU/SE, Nüyou (女友), and Mensfolio.
︎ studio@samuelxun.com
Solo Presentations
2022 – I’m Exhausted, Where is He?
Art & Market, Art Agenda, Singapore
Selected Group Presentations
2023 – Diverse Visions
Richard Koh Fine Arts, Singapore
2023 – Nature & Now: Asian Art in Focus
Friedrichs Pontone, New York
2023 – ART SG 2023: NEW/NOW
(Part of SAW2023, with Richard Koh Fine Arts)
Marina Bay Sands Expo, Singapore
2023 – There Are Flowers in the Morning Mist
(Part of SAW2023)
Supper House, Singapore
2022 – State of Play
Richard Koh Fine Arts, Singapore
2022 – The World Is Flat After All
Supper House, Singapore
2022 – Veneer & Visage
Supper House, Singapore
2022 – It's my party and I'll cry if I want to, you would cry too if it happened to you
(Part of SAW 2022)
The Projector, Singapore
2021 – Dress/Address
Grey Projects, Singapore
2021 – only losers left alive (love songs for the end of the world)
Yeo Workshop, Singapore
2021 – Creative Unions
(Part of SAW 2021)
Funan, Singapore
2020 – The Foot Beneath the Flower
NTU ADM Gallery, Singapore