London art showcase for former Old Leake student

By [mwilliamson]

A FORMER Old Leake student is staging a solo exhibition of his work at a London gallery.

Sam Clift (23) studied for his GCSEs and on a two-year art and design course at the former Giles School and Sixth Form Centre, Old Leake.

He went on to graduate from Surrey's Farnham University for creative arts with a BA hons in fine art, and is now a practising artist.

He told the Target: "I have recently been offered the opportunity to exhibit my work at the 491 Gallery in London next month.

"This is a milestone achievement for me at this period in my career."

The exhibition, entitled Obstacle, demonstrates a culmination of ideas explored by Sam around the concept of space; whether contained within the confines of the picture or through the intervention of three-dimensional space itself.

Sam explains that through fusing painted textured materials, his sculptures are able to adapt to their environment while his drawings inhabit an environment all of their own.

He adds: "The viewer is cast inward, exploring a fictional world through the textural definitions left by the mark-making.

"Wild and archaic images of utopian fantasy are revealed, existing for a moment, until the make-believe narrative evaporates once again back into its formal structure."

Sam has also exhibited throughout the UK as well as taking part in a touring exhibition in America.

He is currently based in Nottingham where he works as the exhibition co-ordinator at Surface Gallery, where he recently curated the group show Particles, Particles, and will also be co-curating an exhibition at the Crypt Gallery, London, in August.