Gonzo by SAMOSA, acrylic paint, markers, & chalk on canvas, 12" x 12".
Samosa’s vibrant new paintings were created during the pandemic, as a means of coping with her usual DJ gigs being cancelled and the uncertainty of the future. Samosa states, “I’m a DJ, but because of the pandemic, I wasn’t able to spin like I used to, so I used my energy to create art again. It brought me back to my childhood of painting in my room while listening to music. It definitely helped me get through 2020.”
Using a wide range of media including acrylic paint, chalk, gold leaf, and rhinestones, Samosa’s work pulses with energy and personality. Her process typically involves putting on music like Tame Impala or Kaytranada, doing a quick sketch of her vision, and getting to work as she channels what she hears onto the canvas. She paints stream-of-consciously, not unlike DJing, often incorporating cryptic text such as LO@K and RiNg, as well as angel numbers into the margins of her compositions.
Inspired by the late 1980s street artists, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, Samosa uses graphic patterns and bright color palettes to command the viewer’s attention as a DJ would her audience.