Exhibition Review of Haptic Terrain
Sam Grabowska (they/them) is a Denver-based multidisciplinary artist. Grabowska primarily approaches artwork through sculpture. In their recent solo exhibition, “Haptic Terrain,” materials as varied as resin, concrete, human hair, construction insulation, and plastic bags are combined to create sensuous new meaning.
When you enter, you’re confronted with instructions on an acrylic box that start with a prompt for the reader to remove a hair from their body. While wandering, you might literally trip over, a glass and cement sculpture that is embedded in the floor. In fact, the artist and gallerists excavated part of the floor in order to install Baladette.
Walking into the gallery, the work immediately struck me on a somatic level; it is unified, tactile, and engaging. The artist placed artwork in direct relationship to the viewer creating opportunities for intimacy with the work. I relate to this work on a visceral and personal level. Perhaps I connected with the work due to its humanistic placement and materials–but I believe I’m responding to something deeper.
I perceive a certain depth in the artwork that demonstrates both the artist’s authenticity in expressing their experiences of built environments and deep understanding of the materials. This exhibition is evocative of a felt sense of our collective, strategic, disassociation with earth. I felt equally comforted by the expression of an experience that words cannot touch and mournful of the daily limitations of built environments and systems that others and I endure to survive.
In their exhibition statement, Grabowska describes the work in the exhibition:
“‘Haptic Terrain’ probes the porous boundary between our bodies and environments, examining how we mutate, evolve, and adapt to endure a hostile world. A collection of sculptures and installations feature skin-like grocery bags, excavated concrete, deformed insulation foam, and transplanted human hair. Biological processes blend with industrial materials, adulterating architectural dissections of space such as section and plan drawings, topographical maps, and conceptual models with carnal bits and tufts of hair. The pieces merge body and landscape, psychology and design, asking how much a body can endure before losing its intrinsic structure and how our vulnerable flesh can prevail through the brutality of a paved-over paradise. The exhibit invites viewers into the intimacy of disgust, the familiarity of struggle, and the escapism of imaginary worlds.”
In addition to the show statement, the exhibition list makes the work accessible through poetic descriptions of each piece. For example, the piece, Souveniette, which features human hair, concrete, and acrylic, is accompanied by a description that reads: “An architectural section of a little place to remember, to run away to a galaxy our bodies haven’t yet evolved enough to inhabit. An asymptotic yearning.”
While I frequently struggle to choose favorites in any category, this is arguably my favorite exhibition of all time. It replaces my previous favorite, “#WhatisUtopia” by Jonathan Saiz. Beyond this show at Leon Gallery, Grabowska has had an impressive art career. They have exhibited across the U.S. and Sweden including BMoCA and Denver Art Museum. Grabowska holds a PhD in architecture with a cognate in cultural anthropology and MH in interdisciplinary humanities. Grabowska is the founder of Manifolding Labs, a research and consulting firm focusing on trauma-responsive spatial design.
“Haptic Terrain” is currently on view at Leon Gallery. In addition to the exhibition, there is an artist talk on October 17 at 6:00 p.m. Leon Gallery frequently hosts exhibitions by LGBT artists and bold exhibitions that address deeply relevant topics. Leon Gallery is a nonprofit that is by and for artists. Founder Eric Robert Dallimore and Executive Director Eric Nord hold a bold vision for Leon Gallery through their fierce curation of intersectional and cutting-edge exhibitions. Some recent queer highlights include their last show, which featured the Cuban artist, Miguel Osorio. They also held an exhibition in 2023 by one of Denver’s acclaimed artists, Shadows Gather. Follow Leon Gallery on their Instagram @ifoundleon.
You can follow Grabowska on their Instagram @sam_grabowska or see more of their work on their art website at samgrabowska.com. Grabowska is the founder of Manifolding Labs, a research and consulting firm focusing on trauma-responsive spatial design. Find out more about Manifolding Labs here.
