"Samson's haunted paintings suggest the scars of history without trying to make them legible to a Western audience. They form an unexpected world we will never understand, even as we keep looking and looking."
"Unlike the English word 'insomnia,' the isiXhosa term carries no negative connotation and accordingly, for Samson, sleeplessness is not a condition to be cured but a state of spiritual alertness, a sensitivity that deepens in the dark."
Cinga Samson's debut exhibition, titled Ukuphuthelwa, features large oil paintings that explore themes of sleeplessness as spiritual alertness. The isiXhosa term for sleeplessness carries no negative connotation, suggesting a deeper sensitivity in darkness. Samson's work employs a limited palette of dark colors and depicts figures in disturbing rituals that resist easy interpretation. His creative process involves photographing staged scenes, which he then translates into drawings and paintings, resulting in a haunting visual experience that challenges viewers to confront the unknown.
Read at Hyperallergic
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