Home is pleased to announce we will be exhibiting work by Melbourne artist Sam Martin in our ‘Materiality’ exhibition opening in October. Pictured is Fixed Elsewhere, 2018, Thread on canvas over wood frame – courtesy of the artist and STATION, Melbourne.

My practice explores various weaving techniques outside the realm of painting. I research many methods of construction such as basketry, embroidery, tapestry, rug-weaving and ancient forms of armour, and reinterpret these as contemporary painted forms.

Protection, strength, labour and layering are all themes and metaphorical scenarios that are running through these pictures. I’m not only interested in the painting as a surface, but also as a container which can hold multiple approaches.

The images are made up of incremental reactions to previous marks, offering opposing dialogues of repetition, variety, structure and improvisation. I allude to this in the titles, which are lifted from improvised music. These sounds and approaches inspire compositional ideas and are a constant soundtrack in my studio.