Mohammed Sami Named National Gallery Artist in Residence for 2027
In August 2026, the National Gallery in London will welcome Iraqi-born artist Mohammed Sami as its Artist in Residence for the year 2027. This initiative, designed for mid-career talents and developed in collaboration with the Contemporary Art Society, replaces the previous Associate Artist program. The residency will culminate in a publication and a series of new artworks by July 2027, with one piece being added to The Lightbox Gallery & Museum's collection. Born in Baghdad in 1984, Sami has a fine arts background and has showcased his work in solo exhibitions globally. He was also a contender for the 2025 Turner Prize and is the sixth artist selected since the inception of the National Gallery's Modern and Contemporary Programme.
Key facts
- Mohammed Sami is the National Gallery's Artist in Residence for 2027, beginning the one-year residency in August 2026.
- The residency will culminate in a publication and presentation of new work in July 2027.
- One work made during the residency will enter the collection of The Lightbox Gallery & Museum in Woking, its first acquisition as a Contemporary Art Society Museum Member.
- Sami is the sixth artist in the residency programme, following Rosalind Nashashibi (2020), Ali Cherri (2021), Céline Condorelli (2023), Katrina Palmer (2024) and Ming Wong (2025).
- The residency is delivered in partnership with the Contemporary Art Society, with support from Suling Mead.
- Sami was born in Baghdad in 1984, studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad, left Iraq for Sweden in 2007, graduated from Belfast School of Art in 2015 and completed an MFA at Goldsmiths College, London, in 2018.
- He was shortlisted for the 2025 Turner Prize for his exhibition 'After the Storm' at Blenheim Palace.
- The residency replaces the previous Associate Artist scheme and is aimed at mid-career artists.
Entities
Artists
- Mohammed Sami
- Rosalind Nashashibi
- Ali Cherri
- Céline Condorelli
- Katrina Palmer
- Ming Wong
- Wangechi Mutu
- Daniel F. Herrmann
- Suling Mead
- Picasso
- Bacon
- Hepworth
- Moore
Institutions
- National Gallery
- Modern Art, London
- The Lightbox Gallery & Museum
- Contemporary Art Society
- Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad
- Ministry of Culture
- Belfast School of Art
- Goldsmiths College
- KM21
- Douglas Hyde Gallery
- Blenheim Palace
- Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo
- Camden Art Centre
- De La Warr Pavilion
- Moderna Museet
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Carnegie Museum of Art
- Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art
- Whitechapel Gallery
- Hayward Gallery
- Turner Prize
- National Gallery with Art Fund Contemporary Artist Fellowship
- Project Domani
- FAD Magazine
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Baghdad
- Iraq
- Sweden
- Woking
- Surrey
- The Hague
- Netherlands
- Dublin
- Ireland
- Woodstock
- Stockholm
- Los Angeles
- United States
- New York
- Pittsburgh
- Aichi
- Japan
- Bexhill-on-Sea