Cinga Samson\u2019s muted pallet and flattened compositions are central to the African anti-sublime aesthetic that distinguishes his work from that of other contemporary painters. Forget the colonial stereotypes of deep blue skies, dusty deserts, and savannahs \u2014 through a subtle intertwining of popular culture and lush vegetation, Samson\u2019s paintings radically defy Western expectations of what African life should be. Like thoroughly contemporary, pagan icons, his subjects proudly flaunt consumerist markers of Western capitalism: effigies of the now, ostentatious status symbols, and cheap consumer goods, visually anchor the paintings in the context of cosmopolitan streetwise culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steering clear of contemporary trends, Samson\u2019s portraits explore personal identity without becoming trapped in the clich\u00e9s of identity politics that often dictate what and how a Black artist ought to paint. Ivory<\/em>, a series of self-portraits made in 2018, is representative of this aesthetic determination. European and African references appear harmoniously blended through a remarkably original synthesis of old and new. At times Samson\u2019s handling of composition and colour echoes Gauguin\u2019s late Tahitian period. At others, his piercing, pupil-less eyes stare back at the viewer in a way that only Modigliani had previously managed to successfully master. The artist\u2019s distinctive style is the result of a long creative journey that began in his early 20\u2019s, when he joined Isibane, a collective of artists in his native Cape Town, which helped him find his artistic direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samson\u2019s paintings often begin with photographic studies and thus have their roots firmly planted in the reality around him. The more recent, larger canvases see him grappling with personal mythologies linked to real events and family stories. True to his desire to keep his paintings autobiographical, Samson also complicates the symbolism of Cape Town monuments, references social injustice, and summons the guidance of ancestral figures. The haunting power of Cinga Samson\u2019s portraits ultimate- ly lies in the painter\u2019s ability to confront the viewer\u2019s gaze, while giving very little away of the emotions underpinning the attitude-filled postures of each figure. It is so that the paintings appear mysterious, silent, and yet vibrant at the same time. This aesthetic tension that governs the majority of his work is the result of the artist\u2019s philosophy. As he puts it: the painting is not for the viewer, the painting is for itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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