Mohammed Sami's 'Vicious Circles' Opens at Modern Art, Paris

Turner Prize-nominated artist Mohammed Sami presents 'Vicious Circles,' a solo exhibition at Modern Art, Paris, running until June 27, 2026. The show features new paintings like 'Nothing Is Empty' (2025) and 'Vicious Circles II' (2025), which explore memory, trauma, and the formal limits of painting. Sami, who rarely gives interviews, discussed his work with fellow artist Rachel Whiteread. He uses unconventional materials such as sand and concrete mixed into acrylics and oils to create texture. Born in Iraq, Sami studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad, the Belfast School of Art (2016), and Goldsmiths, London, where he now lives. His Turner Prize nomination in 2025 followed his exhibition 'After the Storm' at Blenheim Palace. Sami is wary of reductionist interpretations linking his work solely to his Iraqi background and refugee experience, emphasizing the intellectual and formal aspects of painting. He cites advice from Luc Tuymans: 'Paint the sound of the bullet, not the bullet.' His large-scale work 'Refugee Camp' (2022, 3x6 meters) is currently on view at Tate Britain.