Sam Shendi
Balance, joy, contentment
Transcendence
Shendi left education with a first-class honours degree in sculpture and architecture. His work can be seen in public and private collections in South Africa, Panama, Taiwan, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Using contemporary industrial materials, steel, stainless steel, aluminium and fibreglass to create his work. Notions of balance, joy and contentment are seen in his work which consists of figurative and abstract works. Shendi has had multiple solo exhibitions, including Johannesburg, Munich, London and Amsterdam. Living and working from his studio in North Yorkshire “I always develop my creations around subjects, which are common, understandable and important to all of us, no matter what our taste, age or cultural background may be. I describe myself as a figurative sculptor it is important to me that the work, however minimalistic still has an impact on the viewer visually and emotionally”
Powder coated stainless steel
Aquarius
‘Aqaurius’ is one of Shendi’s most abstract and minimalist forms, yet it is one of with a lot of symbolism. Aquarius is a Zodiac symbol, commonly known as a star sign. It is often represented by water, explaining the colours used to decorate this work. As you travel down the column, which is moving down the hill, as you go deeper and deeper into the darkness of the undiscovered. It demonstrates fantastic engineering with contortions in heavy gauge, thick stainless steel tubing.
Powder coated steel
The Bow
Shendi uses contemporary industrial materials, steel, stainless steel, aluminium and fibreglass to create his work. Notions of balance, joy and contentment are seen in his work which consist of figurative and abstract pieces. ‘The Bow’ is made from steel, however, the bright colours distract the viewer from the weight and hardness of the material. Instead of dominating the space with a mass of form, it triggers visual stimulation and any subsequent emotions.
In his own words
Artist statement
My work whittles down the human figure to its simplest form enabling the exploration of the idea of the human form as a vessel. So by reducing the human body to a container or minimal shape, my creations become centred on an emotion or an expression.
The simplicity is no longer the end result and devoid of meaning but a revelation of a hidden truth and intellectual expression, therefore my works take a fine line between representation and abstraction. Stripping human nature down to its essence and then expressing it in a sculptural language is the base of my practice.
Firmly based on modernist morphology my colourful architectural forms abbreviate the human figure and nod to my background in monumental sculpture and interior design.
The candy-coated palette animates the archetypal themes I address in my work. Assisted by the use of colour to deceive the eye, flouting a sense of gravity and taking the attention away from the material also gives the work a strong optical impact.
Sometimes we may feel the tension which despite their moderate size almost bears a “‘will to grow” into monuments that we could easily imagine standing in the centre of any city or landscape. Pieces balance public art, sculptural and on the border of the design.
Awards & exhibitons
Recognition
Awards
The [email protected] Public Art Award by the Royal British Society of Sculptors(2013)
The Mahmoud Mokhtar Sculpture Award (1996)
Liverpool Plinthwinner 2019
Select exhibitions
Seasons, Solo exhibition, Graham’s Fine Art Gallery, Johannesburg (2017)
Mother and Child, Solo exhibition, The Civic, Barnsley (2016–2017)
Body and Soul, Solo exhibition, Munich, Germany (2015)
FLUX, Group Exhibition, The Rag Factory, London (2015)
Only Human, Solo exhibition, Cartwright Museum and Gallery, Bradford (2014–2015)
First @108, Solo exhibition, The Royal British Society of Sculptors, London (2014)
International Exhibition of Contemporary Art, De Oude Kerk, Amsterdam (2012)
Art in Mind, Group Show, Brick Lane Gallery, London (2011)
Public art
Art in the Park, Lister Park, Bradford (2014–2015)
Public sculpture for the Nail, Silsden, West Yorkshire (2011)
God’s Eyein Craven Baptist Church for its 300-year celebration, Sutton-in-Craven, North Yorkshire (2011)
Split Decisions, the winner of the 2019 Liverpool Plinth
