ABOUT MARGARITA SAMPSON

Margarita Sampson works predominantly in soft sculpture & contemporary jewellery. Her work is strongly influenced by her Norfolk Island background, referencing natural forms, patterns & textures, in particular underwater lifeforms.    

I'm interested in the idea of colonisation, growth, opportunistic expansion, the organic versus the inorganic, taking over spaces and recontextualising them. I don't like to be too specific with the forms in my work, I like them to be suggestive enoughof any number of possibilities so that the viewer brings their own story and imagination to the party....then the work starts to resonate, through that conversation. If a work answers it's own questions it's dead.

  The recent 'Salon' series pitches overweening growths onto a host chair, which begins to succumb or bend under the weight. Poised at a juncture, there are many scenarios that could evolve... the chair is buried in soft forms? They outgrow themselves and die out? They take over an entire room? you?...that's the excitement and the tension I seek when working on a piece... " MS 2012

Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION

• 1991      BA (Visual Arts) COFA, UNSW. Australia
• 1993     Master of Arts (Vis Arts, Painting), COFA, UNSW. Australia

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

• 2015    ‘Infectious Desires’ Stanley St Gallery, Sydney & Tamworth Regional Gallery.
• 2006    ‘Taking Care of Business’ Craft Victoria, Melbourne
• 2002    ‘Circadia’ Pcl Exhibitionists, Sydney
• 2000    ‘Swell’ Pcl Exhibitionists, Sydney

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

• 2015     ‘Profile, Airspace, Sydney
• 2014    ‘Danger Will Robinson, Airspace, Sydney
• 2012    MasterClass exhibition, Jemposium, Wellington
• 2008    Explorations -Gaffa Gallery, Sydney
• 2008    We Love3D - Sydney Opera House
• 2008    Pacific Arts Festival,  American Samoa
• 2004    Pacific Arts Festival, Palau Belau
• 2003    Art Of Flowers, Old Government House, Botanical Gardens, Sydney
• 2003    Sculpture 2003, Pcl Exhibitionists, Sydney
• 2002    Sculpture in the City Martin Place, Sydney
• 2001    The Botanic Realm , Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Sydney
• 2001    Guest Artist, Oklahoma Arts Festival, USA
• 2000    Pacific Biennale d ' Contemporain, Noumea, New Caledonia

AWARDS

• 2012    Section Winner:( Sculpture & Objects)- Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize
• 2011    “Andrea Stretton Memorial Prize” Sculpture by the Sea
• 2010    Churchill Fellowship, jewellery
• 1999    Runner up, Tactile Art Prize Royal Blind Society
• 1998    ‘People’s Choice Prize’, Sculpture by the Sea

ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2015    Finalist, Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown Regional Art Gallery
• 2015    Finalist, Sculpture by the Sea. Decade Club member
• 2014    Finalist, Sculpture by the Sea
• 2013    Finalist, Sculpture by the Sea
• 2013    Finalist, Willoughby Sculpture Award
• 2013    Finalist, Wynne Prize, AGNSW
• 2012    Finalist, Gold Coast Art Prize
• 2012    Guest Artist-Sculpture by the Sea Cottesloe
• 2009    Sculpture by the Sea Finalist
• 2006    Sculpture by the Sea Guest Artist
• 2001    Finalist, Contemporary Wearables Art Prize
• 2001    Finalist, Sculpture by the Sea
• 2001    Finalist, Roche Art Prize
• 2000    Finalist, Sculpture by the Sea
• 1999    Finalist, Sculpture by the Sea
• 1999    Runner up, Tactile Art Prize
• 1998    Finalist, Sculpture by the Sea
• 1997    Finalist, Sculpture by the Sea

COLLECTIONS

• University of New South Wales, Australia
• Tjibaou Centre, New Caledonia
• Royal Blind Society, Australia

REVIEWS AND PUBLICITY

Web:

• March 2015 - Huffington Post (Infectious Desires Exhibition)
• March 2015 - Beautiful.Bizarre (Infectious Desires Exhibition)
• March 2015 - Beautifuldecay.com (Infectious Desires Exhibition)
• March 2015 - hifructose.com (Infectious Desires Exhibition)

Magazine:

•  June 2013 - Architecture Digest Italy, Design People ' Alphabeto di Mare' (http://adtoday.it/alfabeto-di-mare/)

News:

• June 2012 - ABC News, 'Waterhouse Prize winners'
• November 2011 - Sydney Morning Herald, 'Rocky Start for Unveiling of Mysterious Sea Creatures ' 
• February 2000 - SMH Metro, 'Sexy Sculpture? Swell!', review, Sebastian Smee
• October 1998 - Sydney Morning Herald, 'Sculptures in the Sand'

PUBLICATIONS

• Ray Hemadranda , Chunghi Choo  Showcase:  500 Art Necklaces, ed, Lark Books USA 2013ISBN 978-1454703525
• Marthe Le Ven, Bruce Metcalf  Showcase: 500 Rings, ed, Lark Books USA 2012. ISBN 978-1454702887
• Chris Bates,  Megan Booth & Sean O'Keefe Making Art Connections 'Working with Landscape' Chapter 16,  McGraw-Hill ISBNAustralia 2011.  ISBN 978-0070281592
• 500 Baskets: A Celebration of the Basketmaker's Art, ed, Lark Books USA 2006 ISBN 978-1579907310
• Sculpture by the Sea, the First Fifteen Years 1997-2011. ed, Sculpture by the Sea Inc Australia 9781876624187