Kira Streletzki presents ‘Excalibur’, the first debut solo exhibition of London born and based artist, Samah Rafiq. 

 

Rafiq received her MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in 2024. Previously she completed her Undergraduate Degree at UAL Camberwell College of Arts, graduating in 2022 with a First Class Honours in Fine Art: Painting. 

 

Samah’s practice explores the semiotics of consumer imagery, exploring the intersection throughout these sign systems, and their alignment into a double edged sacred and profane space. Her paintings investigate the tension between popular imagery and their elevation into symbols of worship. 

 

In ‘Excalibur’, Rafiq investigates the transformation of the word into an entire mythology, delving into the signs and symbols associated with the ‘spectacle’ of the word. In her new body of work, Rafiq explores how myth, power, and desire intertwine and present within different cultural sign systems. 

 

Across 10 different works, amongst some of which are diptychs and triptychs, Rafiq re-examines the perspective of the image. Depicting larger than life, off kilter, and distorted imagery; the subject matter prompts associations to cultural archetypes and wider layers of understanding. These pieces unravel the layers of meaning attached to the word ‘Excalibur’—its wider connotations of power, religion, and ritual.