Untitled 80, 2024

Enrique Samama  

Born in 1968, in France, in the suburbs of Paris. My mother is of Spanish origin but she wants us to be integrated and wants to hide my Spanish origins: she chooses Eric as a first name. But in my Spanish family they can't say it and they call me Enrique so when it was time to take an artist name I went back to Enrique. My father is Jewish from Tunisia. But I decided to become an atheist and I am happy to be French with several origins because they are riches.

• I draw my Spanish grandfather: César Angel Fernandez, on his deathbed and it was of the greatest importance because I didn't have a camera.

• When I draw I go beyond my limits on life, I find myself in situations that I can't live in reality!

• After 20 years of research, I show my work at the Galerie anti reflet in Nantes (June 2005 then April 2006) which decides to exhibit first in a group, then individually. I sell 5 paintings.

• then I am selected by the city of Brest, as young talent of the year and they offer me an individual exhibition "imprudent" in January 2007, and the meeting of Janick Calvez who writes a reference text for me, published in the art magazine: Arrimages.

• I meet the Felli gallery in Paris, which also exhibits the sculpture Marc Petit. I do a collective exhibition in April 2007.

• in June 2007, I meet the reg'art confrontation gallery in Rouen. Exhibition in duo with the sculptor Marc Morvan.

• I try to show in Paris: individual exhibition in a cultural center: la Jonquière gallery with the city of Paris, in February 2008.

• in September 2008, paper art festival at the tobacco factory in Nantes with Arteva and the city of Nantes.

• In connection with Paper Art, group exhibition at the Anti Refelts gallery

• Then I met René O from Belgium who was setting up an international contemporary art festival focused on painting. It was near Bordeaux, in the Montaigne region (which already spoke about the human condition): he exhibited works by international painters and some French ones, both famous and new. I was part of his festival twice!

• October 2008: Factura 2008 International Festival, “Human condition, 10 artists" with Jean Rustin, Camille de Taeye, Michael Bastow, Bern Wery, ... in the chapels of Villefranche de Lonchat and its surroundings.

• June 2009: Chambourcy Salon, Chambourcy. First prize in painting. 2008.

• June 2009: "Arteva at La Maison Nantaise", Arteva, Nantes. Group exhibition.

• October 2009: Group exhibition and auction for the benefit of the new eye, "Small formats" with Abraham Hadad, Frédéric Lund Ottesen, James Pichette, Jean Signovert, Lilly Masson ..., Christiane Peugeot Center, Avenue de la Grande Armée, Paris.

• November 2009: "Lyon and South East Salon", Lyon.

• January 2010: Top 9 "the 9 nominated artists" of the New Eye, Christiane Peugeot Center, Avenue de la Grande Armée, Paris.

• September 2010 Pontoise Salon, Pontoise.

• October 2010 Factura International Festival 2010, “In arte veritas" with Pierre Alechinsky, Karel Appel, Hans Bellmer, Ben, Calder, David Hockney, Francis Toledo, Roland Topor, ... in Villefranche de Lonchat.

• December 2010: Musée Marzelles, Marmande. Solo exhibition, “De l'humain enfin".

• June 2011: Galerie Le Confort des Etranges, Toulouse. 6 works.

• June 2011: Biennale d'art contemporain de La Celle Saint Cloud, La Celle Saint Cloud

• August 2011: Galerie 13, Montpellier. Group exhibition with the gallery's artists: Piero Mosti, Gérard Renouf...

• in 2012

• in September 2011, I learned that I had an illness and I didn't have the energy to paint. So I wrote. And I created a collective.

• 2023: I learn that I am saved, I am in great shape. And I have a great need to paint with an intensity increased tenfold by all this from the beginning of 2024. full blast! I take all my old paintings again, I improve them. I start dozens of sheets. And I show to my loved ones who tell me to show, we take photos of the works: I have 162! I make a site with my daughter Alice, and she launches me on Instagram and there followers tell me about the strength of my painting, like the psychoanalyst Marie Hémery...

• I try to get the opinion of the largest gallery in France on expressionism: the Marie Vitoux gallery, and there I am in contact: she tells me that she will look and give her opinion. Depending on this opinion, I will get back in touch with the Felli gallery in Paris, the Le confort des étranges gallery in Toulouse. But via Instagram, I had contacts with several galleries in France (galerie carré in Nimes, Galerie le linteau rouge in St Brieuc, galerie une image St Etienne). And in the meantime, I had contact via Instagram with your gallery in Barcelona! my Spanish story that comes back to me, it's incredible and I'm very happy to exhibit with you. At the same time, I have contact with an Italian curator who works with several galleries in Florence, it's in the process of being set up.