Samantha Wall

Russo Lee Gallery is pleased present Foreign Body by Samantha Wall. This exhibition is a collection of ink on paper self-portraits. They were made to bridge the gap between a pre-COVID-19 understanding and sense of self, and the current state of being. During a time of isolation, self-confinement and an internalized racism surrounding the virus, the artist experienced a redefinition of her role and place in society. The risk of potential illness magnified alienation with a body she had come to understand, but the mirror required for self portrait work felt as much a look back as one forward. These portraits became tools to identify how current events have transformed a sense of self.