Saatchi Gallery opens the first major survey of Anastasia Samoylova
Anastasia Samoylova, Floridas - Except Sunday, Panama City Beach, Florida 2021.
LONDON.—
Saatchi Gallery & Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography are presenting Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation, the first major survey of contemporary American photographer Anastasia Samoylova. Curated by Taous Dahmani, this exhibition will present works from five of Samoylova’s most significant series: Floridas, FloodZone, Landscape Sublime, Image Cities, and Breakfasts.
A modern-day flâneuse with a camera in hand, Anastasia Samoylova observes the everyday to reveal its absurdities and challenge our societal constraints. Wandering through urban and ‘natural’ landscapes, Samoylova invites us to question and reflect on our surroundings.
Intertwining aesthetics with socio-politics, her art is a dynamic response to our rapidly changing world, addressing themes such as capitalism, climate change, gentrification, and the gendered occupation of public space. Samoylova's provocative vision challenges and enriches our understanding of these pressing issues. In her work, we find juxtapositions between the natural world’s fragility against the backdrop of capitalist irrationalities, unearthing long-term and every-day political dissonances.
Through her distinctive visual layering and inquisitive gaze, Anastasia Samoylova's work explores how best to capture and provoke thought about social inequality. Meticulously crafted, her photographs invite viewers to decode and interpret. The more one engages with Samoylova’s work, the more its nuances unfold, making Adaptation not just an exhibition, but a journey into the complexities of our contemporary world.
The multiple meanings behind the word "adaptation" inspired the title of this exhibition of her work, which spans from the 2010s to today. Samoylova’s unique perspective as a first- generation immigrant to the United States fuels her exploration of cultural, environmental, and societal adaptation.
Floridas serves as a microcosm of the United States, unravelling the complex socio political landscape of the eclectic, sun-soaked state. From pink flamingos to abandoned buildings and vibrant pink churches, Samoylova captures Florida’s layers, and the intricate mosaic it truly is.
FloodZone documents the southern states in the wake of hurricanes and other natural disasters, but Samoylova shifts her gaze away from the spectacle of climate change, focusing instead on its pervasive and omnipresent effects on daily life.
Created in the age of online visual culture, Landscape Sublime challenges the stereotypes surrounding landscape representation. Through her kaleidoscopic constructions—such as "Four Seasons" (2018), "Matterhorn" (2015), and "Glaciers" (2015), featured in the exhibition— Samoylova dismantles preconceived notions about nature.
Photographs of major urban capitals like New York City, London, and Brussels form the core of Image Cities, continuing Samoylova’s exploration of the pervasive influence of visual capitalism on urban landscapes.
Originally conceived as an homage to Samoylova’s favourite photobooks, Breakfasts evolved into a playful still life series and witty, tongue-in-cheek appropriations. Blending artistic inspiration with a sense of humour, the series is composed of carefully crafted visual tributes to the photographic canon.
Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation was produced by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, Minneapolis/ Paris/Lausanne in collaboration with the Saatchi Gallery, London.
The accompanying book published by Thames & Hudson, Adaptation (2024), is available for purchase in the Gallery Shop and through Saatchi Store Online.
Anastasia Samoylova is a Russian-born American artist who alternates between observational photography and studio practice. In 2024, her exhibition Floridas: Anastasia Samoylova and Walker Evans will be presented at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Recent exhibitions include C/O Berlin, Fundación MAPFRE, George Eastman Museum, Chrysler Museum of Art, and V&A Dundee. Samoylova's work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Perez Art Museum, Miami; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; and the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago. Publications include FloodZone (Steidl, 2019), Floridas (Steidl, 2022), and Image Cities (Fundación Mapfre, 2023).
