A dialogue with Dominic Samsworth, who dialogues with abandonments and surroundings

 

Dominic Samsworth has just finished his period of residency at the Still House Group in New York. He was born in 1987, he studied at the Glasgow school of Art and in Hereford. He is still very young, and almost unknown to the art scene, but his art practice seems to be already well focused and entrenched. In terms of methodology it basically consists of taking on the stage details, objects, places and people as fragments of an unsaid storytelling; however it is the formal frame in which this gesture takes place what really matters: a geometric, minimal and repetitive scheme apparently centered on the idea that isolation is the real essence of the art making. “Recently my work has shifted from architecture to a more domestic environment” he says, “same ideas, capturing things, delaying object preservation or fast forwarding an object destruction by working in a kind of reductive way”. But obviously every “found object” implies researching, driven by a certain sentimental surrounding. Effectively Samsworth describes his practice as “a response to new places. I want to explore and go beyond the sort of physical and social boundaries. It is an exploration to see what is over the wall behind the facade”.

 

Which is your favorite subject?

 

My favorite subject would be exploring, that involves traveling, changes of scenes and openness to inquiry.

 

Do you believe in abstraction?

 

Absolutely. You just have a feeling that there is a power that is incomparable to anything. I feel that is a rare thing to achieve in art, a rare experience when viewing art. There is a mystery in it. I think it’s one of the most important additional languages that we have as humans.

 

Which is the most inspiring place for you?

 

Currently I’d say New York. More generally, I’d say a city. It is where there is a wide range of people’s activity, therefore a huge amount of fast abandonment. I come from the countryside and I’ve always been drawn to the city because of its richness.

 

Which is the quality you prefer in an art dealer?

 

I think sensitivity. The people who are sensitive to what the artist is attempting to do are the most valuable ones.

 

Which one in a collector?

 

I guess it would be sensitivity and honesty.

 

Who is your favorite artist?

 

Gordon Matta-Clark has been inspirational.

 

Is there any old master that you like?

 

I can get lost in looking at Caravaggio’s paintings.

 

Is there any colour or shape you really hate?

 

I don’t like the colour purple. I’ve problems with triangles sometimes. They always seem to come back up incidentally. My least favorite shape is circle, sort of a bit complacent.

 

What makes an idea become an artwork?

 

I think it’s persistence in not fading away. We have plenty of ideas hour to hour, day to day, but one has to be able to persist and let it grow.

 

Which novel is better comparable to your idea of art?

 

I’ve never really thought about this. Maybe I haven’t read enough but I’m sure at some point I will find a person in literature who is doing similar ideas to my work. I look forward to having this experience in the future.

 

Which song or kind of music would be the ideal soundtrack for your exhibition?

 

I think this would change dramatically. In the last exhibition I would say a soundtrack by Kid Creole and The Coconuts.

 

What would you have done if you were not an artist?

 

I’d be a musician.

 

September 22, 2014