Sam Fagan, In part (detail), 2015, pigment ink on archival tissue, digital photo print, newspaper, vinyl, steel, glass, enamel spray
Anna Pappas Gallery itself will become a part of Sam Fagan’s upcoming solo exhibition, which is site specific and responsive to the space. In A Line Between, Fagan will be exhibiting new works that subvert the familiar and question perceived reality, as well as our experiences within it.
As viewers move through the exhibition, they will experience a breakdown of exterior and interior landscapes, creating conversations between object, design and art. Fagan utilises industrial design and familiar functional objects in order to subtly subvert their essential purpose, creating unexpected encounters and unsettling the space in which they exist. There is also darkness to the work, however it is something only alluded to; a disturbing presence created by imagination and self-reflection.
Paper works will also be presented alongside the installation, creating a conflict between materials. The fragility of the paper contrasts with the durability of industrial objects in order to produce a state of flux between the works and within the space. Using elements of collage and design on archival tissue paper, in creating the images, the surface itself breaks down, and in its destruction a sense of instability and brittleness is heightened. Questioning a reality dependant on clear visual language, Fagan ultimately remodels this language in order to destabilise and re-imagine our everyday existence.
Fagan holds a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art Painting) and a Fine Art Honours, from the VCA. He has held solo exhibitions including In Between, Bus Projects (2014) and Minus, Dudspace, (2012), as well as numerous group exhibitions across Melbourne such as at Anna Pappas Gallery (2014), Kings ARI (2014), Blindside (2012), from which he was awarded the Blindside Debut Award, Margaret Lawrence Gallery (2011) and George Paton Gallery (2011). Fagan was also awarded the Global Art Projects Award and the Roger Kemp Memorial Prize, both in 2011. In 2013 Fagan undertook a residency with the Arteles Center in Haukijärvi, Finland.