Samantha Wall’s “Only Part of The Story”

Five_Words_Illume_PRFluid concepts like identity are at the core of most worthwhile art. Part of why we look at art is to find out more about ourselves, so in an abstract sense, all art is about identity.

Samantha Wall’s collection of large-scale drawings, entitled Only Part of the Story, captures that eternal question in somewhat less abstract terms. Her work will be showing at the Fairbanks Gallery at OSU starting Feb. 10.

Born in South Korea, Wall emigrated to the United States at the age of four. Her art has been exhibited all over the country, including numerous shows in Portland, where she now lives and works. She does drawings based on photographs she has taken, tackling different themes about the female condition.

“An exchange of emotions and ideas between the model and myself shapes the outcome of each photo shoot, producing unpredictable and idiosyncratic results,” she says in the press release for the upcoming show. She then goes through the photographs looking for one that captures the right moment she’s looking for. According to Wall, “That image becomes the kernel of a drawing, and with graphite, charcoal or ink I amplify and enhance its distinctive quality.”

Wall’s drawings are complex and exhibit the female form in ways that make the viewer consider it in new terms. Only Part of the Story promises to do the same.

The collection will be on display at the Fairbanks Gallery from Thursday, Feb. 10 through Tuesday March 11, and is free to the public. There will be a reception for the artist on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 4:30 PM.

by Ygal Kaufman

Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com