About

Artist Bio

Samantha is a mixed-media visual artist. Originally from Scotland, she has worked and lived between the UK, Canada, Italy, Spain, India and Africa. Completing her BA of Fine Art and MFA in Art and Humanities from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, Scotland, 2015. She has since received many awards for her work and participated in multiple international artist residencies. Exhibiting her work between the UK, US, Europe and India, she now works full time as and artist and fine arts facilitator. 

She is co-founder of Colour the Community, a Social Arts Initiative in Kenya, which aims to foster creativity and growth inside rural schools and their surrounding community. Samantha is passionate about the exploration of art and creativity to bring communities together through creative intervention through exhibition, festivals, curation and specialised art courses. 

Artist Statement

My work uses drawing and painting to contemplate social, political and cultural issues. Ambiguity often plays a role in the formation of images to explore both the physical and ephemeral realms of human experience. Free-flowing mediums; charcoal, ink and powder pigments are complemented by juxtaposing photographic imagery and intentional subject matter. Depicting key events and figures of power that influence the nature of modern society. The work seeks to illuminate cross-cultural difference, similarity and ultimately the necessity for compassionate relating, regardless of race, age, gender, nationality or political status. It seeks to ask; how can contemporary art contribute in creating a more inclusive society? 

Exploring the question; What does it feel like to be human, alone and together amidst turbulent times? Art for me has the capacity to delve into this ambiguous question, because it shares the same quality as life. It's ambiguous and unstable.

 

CV

EDUCATION

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

2017 - Klein Artist Works scholarship.

2016 - Nominee Scottish Variety Award for Best new Scottish artist.

2016 - The W.Gordon.Smith Competition runner up prize.

2015 - The Fife Decorative and fine Arts Society Award. 

2015 - The Duncan of Jordanstone Postgraduate award for best academic performance.

2015 - Royal Scottish Academy John Kinross Scholarship to Florence.

2015 - Friends of the RSA award.

2014 - The Alexander Graham Monro Travel Award, best work for an artist under 30.

2015 - The William Sangster Phillip's academic scholarship and bursary.

2014 - The James Guthrie Memorial Art Prize.

2014 - The Hermione Hammond runner up drawing prize.

2010 - The Benni Esposito Drawing Award. 

EXHIBITIONS

SOLO

2019 - A Collective Public (Part 1) - Fabrica Braço de Prata, Lisbon, Portugal. 

2015 - Beyond The veil, Masters show, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee.

2012 - Open up I'm Burning Through The Blossom Lounge, Toronto.

2012 - The Pittenweem Arts Festival, Pittenweem, Fife.

2011 - The Pittenweem Arts Festival, Pittenweem, Fife.

 

GROUP 

2021 - Open Studio Exhibition - LX Factory, Studio 1.14B, First Floor, Lisbon, Portugal 

2020 - Sustainable Connection – Con Gusto/Unobvious Lab, Lisbon, Portugal       

2020 - MFA Alumni Show, Flora Kirsch Beck Art Gallery: Alma College, Michigan, USA.

2019 - Ateliers Abertas Edição 3, Rua Conceição da Gloria, Lisbon, Portugal.

2017 - 12 x 12 - Galeria da Graça, Lisbon, Portugal.

2017 - Ateliers Abertas, Rua Conceicao da Gloria, Lisbon, Portugal.

2017 - Imagining the Future, A School and Community Arts Development Initiative - with Chittaranjan Nayak, as part of c-Hub and Tafaria foundation, at Tafaria Castle, Nyeri, Kenya.

2016 - Group show of community projects as part of c-Hub and Tafaria foundation at Tafaria Castle, Nyeri, Kenya.

2016 - Supporting Mind Scotland, The Image Collective Gallery, Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh, Scotland.

2016 - Zorba the Buddha International Residence Exhibition, Delhi, India. 

2016 - Gallery 48 Opening Night, Gallery 48, Westport, Dundee, Scotland.

2016 - Open Studio Exhibition, Jiwar International Residence for Artists and Researchers in Urban creativity, Barcelona, Spain.

2016 - The W. Gordon Smith Painting Competition Exhibition, The Dovecot Gallery, Edinburgh.

2016 - RSA Open, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, Scotland.

2015 - Winter Postcard Show, WALL PROJECTS, 13 Bents Road, Montrose, Scotland.

2015 - ARTSYLAND 9 NEW GRADUATES EXHIBITION II, WALL PROJECTS, 13 Bents Road Montrose, Scotland. 

2015 - New Scottish Artists. The Fleming Collection Gallery, London.

2015 - New Contemporaries 'Selected Artist', RSA (Royal Scottish Academy) Edinburgh.

2015 - RSW (Royal Society Watercolours), RSA (Royal Scottish Academy) Edinburgh.

2014 - Solstice Gallery De Goede Toronto, ON.

2014 - Winter Tales, Duncan of Jordanstone College of art and Design, Dundee.

2014- Best of Degree show, The Sixfoot Gallery, Glasgow.

2014 - Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art Degree Show, Dundee.

2013 - Open Up I'm Burning Through, Top Floor Studio, Toronto.

 

NOTABLE PRESS

2021 - Samantha Wilson’s illuminating portfolio highlights a dark corner of a global humanitarian crisis

2020 - Samantha Wilson, b.1990, University of Dundee Fine Art Collections, Tower Foyer & Lamb Galleries.

2015 - GQ Magazine, Why Dundee is becoming Britain's coolest little city, by Robert Johnston.

2015 - New Scottish Artists on Show at the Fleming Collection, London, by Ian Caldwell.

2015 - ART Scottish Art News: RSA: New Contemporaries 2015, Griselda Murray Brown.

2015 - University News, Art and Architecture graduates to exhibit at 2015 new Contemporaries by Grant Hill.

2015 - Art reviews: RSW by William Crosbie

2015 - STV Dundee, Award-winning Dundee artists pick up nearly £5k in prizes, by Joe Birchenall.

2015 - Dundee University, Travel Beckons for Award Winning Artists, by Grant Hill.

2015 - Dundee Wave 102 Radio, Interview on RSW Alexander Graham Monro Travel Award.

2014 - Central Station, The Creative Social Network, Life After Art School with Samantha Wilson.

2014 - Central Station, The Creative Social Network, DJCAD Degree Show Review.

2013 - Holly In The City blog, Upcoming Art Show, Open Up I'm Burning Through.