Sam Guy's primary subject matter is his own image. Through prolonged observational paintings he explores the multifaceted nature of the self, its murkiness, chance quality and socially buttressed construction. Through costuming and a deep relationship to the history of portrait painting he re-presents himself in various forms.
The chameleon nature of these self portraits positions the artist as both real and potential, blurring those distinctions and positioning his own being within a larger cultural context. Often reflections on manhood, these paintings interrogate how it is performed, engaging with the imagery in complicated ways, ranging from the satirical and ironic, to the honorific, and even funerary.
Samuel Guy (he/his, b. 1991) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He received his MFA from Boston University in 2019 and his BFA from Alfred University in 2014. Solo and two-person exhibitions include Bildungsroman at Vardan Gallery, LA (2023); The Little House with Marissa Graziano at Colgate University (2022); A Distant Mirror at Auxier Kline, NY (2022). He has participated in a number of group exhibitions including Sequential Obsessions, Theodore, New York, NY (2023); Is it a dream or a memory?, Marathon Gallery, Ellenville, NY (2023); Stonebreakers, Launch F18, New York, NY (2021); Significant Other, Auxier & Kline Gallery, New York, NY (2021); Proximity, Anna Zorina Gallery, New York, NY (2017); among others. Guy has received numerous awards and fellowships including from the Constance Saltonstall Foundation, Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, and Colman Foundation. Guy is featured in New American Paintings Issue No. 165.
