Henry Samelson

The enamel paintings of Henry Samelson employ what the artist refers to as “cartoon physics,” which appear like pastel shapes, psychedelic patterns and squiggly, energetic lines. Reviving memory, nostalgia, and photographic fragments, Samelson’s paintings layer prismatic forms with lush color. Samelson says of his practice, “there is both a practical and nostalgic component to painting that differentiates it from other, technological forms of information preservation. I am interested in what happens when we paint a moment or memory, as opposed to photographing, videotaping or saving something onto a hard drive.”

Samelson’s work has been exhibited at Miller Block Gallery in Boston, the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art, Florida, DNA Gallery, Provincetown, Horton Gallery, New York and is on file with the Artist Registry at White Columns in New York. In 2006, he also collaborated with Merce Cunningham, creating decor and costume design for the premiere of eyeSpace at the Joyce Theatre.