And They Shall Become One Flesh

Opening times: 11 am - 7 pm

J/M Gallery and curator Vittoria Beltrame are pleased to present Abi Joy Samuel in ‘And They Shall Become One Flesh,’ where her new body of work is shown. This will be the first time in which J/M Gallery is representing an artist as a gallery in itself, allowing it to follow and support artists that it believes in.

Abi Joy Samuel is a multiple award-winning British artist, whose figurative works entail a process of ‘forsaking,’ and abandoning any attachment to all that is physical, entering a state of deep spirituality. In her practice there is a focus on the naked body and the animalistic human nature, which serves as commentary on the true and primordial human state. Multiple layers are added to the same figure’s outlines symbolising the adding of experiences that make up one’s lifetime — once an event has taken place, it cannot be erased, much like Samuel’s brushstrokes. The addition of these happenings will become integral part of the subject’s persona. The repetition of the character’s outlines in the same scene also want to depict the passing of time, reminding the audience that the smallest movement, often unnoticed, has a substantial impact.

Abi’s new body of work focuses on the relation between spirituality and sexuality. These two seemingly contrasting themes are in reality strongly tied together due to their existence in the same realm — the carnal and the spiritual world co-exist in one’s existential identity. The relationship between these two concepts has changed over time through social construct, but it stays at the core of Samuel’s credo and view on life. The reclining figures tie to the imaginative ‘forsaking’ and is greatly used as a subject in art, especially in Post-War Britain with artists like Lucian Freud and Henry Moore.

The audience of the exhibition is able to witness the artist’s take on the theme, but is also encouraged to meditate on their relationship with spirituality and what is means to them in the meditation room set up at the back of the gallery.

For any information or queries please email vittoria.c.beltrame@gmail.com.

Special thanks to Portobello Brewing for supplying refreshments on the opening night.

A Q&A on 7 May 2023 from 3 pm - 4 pm is available to book separately at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/623599692467.