Samantha Wall: Foreign Body

Our artist talk with Samantha Wall on the occasion of her exhibition Foreign Body. Samantha Wall Foreign Body August 6–29, 2020 Russo Lee Gallery, Portland, Oregon Video by Eric Mellencamp Interviewer: Eva Lake https://www.russoleegallery.com/exhib... 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.