DISTANT EXISTENCE: Paintings by Samuel Kampelman Exhibition

Opening reception: Saturday, November 2, 7-9p
On view: November 2, 2024-January 2025, at Michelle Thomas Fine Art Gallery + Studio

Samuel Kampelman is an abstract representational painter living in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, then went to Indiana University–Bloomington for his MFA in painting. “My paintings are influenced by my curiosity about the spaces and beings we have yet to discover,” he says, “A fascination with the unknown fuels my imagination, prompting me to envision how these imagined entities and environments might exist in distant, unexplored realms. My art bridges the fantastical and tangible, inviting viewers to ponder the limitless possibilities of existence beyond our current understanding.”

Kampelman’s interdisciplinary process begins with collecting and manipulating recycled materials, which he cuts and assembles to construct sculptures that embody the concepts he intends to visualize. These sculptures are suspended from strings and placed within an enclosed, constructed space, which he strategically lights to enhance their visual impact. The interplay of light and shadow in this controlled environment creates dynamic, ever-changing scenes that provide visual references for his oil paintings. “I aim to spark a sense of wonder and invite viewers to embark on their journeys of discovery,” Kampelman says, “By merging the abstract with the representational, I hope to inspire a deeper appreciation for the mysteries that lie beyond our immediate perception and encourage imaginative exploration of the unknown.”

Calendar – Bernal Heights and Beyond

Michelle Thomas Fine Art Gallery

Michelle Thomas Fine Art Gallery sits at the intersection of Bernal Heights, Noe Valley, and the Mission in San Francisco. We feature emerging and established artists worldwide in dialogue with Bay Area icons working across media and genres. These artists are meticulous in their technique, compelled to make meaning from chaos and identify the profound in the pedestrian. The Gallery references a global, cosmopolitan heritage alongside Western art and design history—refusing marginality and the deskilled, folk, naive identity often imposed upon creatives from non-Western contexts. Our program flouts neat curatorial categories, with presentations prioritizing rare poetic concerns or marrying dissimilar materials to establish a singular aesthetic.