GALLERI II

"As the world grows hard,
images branded behind my eyes
in a constant flow of dread and awe
I yearn for tales, for gathering, for nesting

shedding skin
Hatching

falling into fantasy, furs, prozac, moss
an escape like daphne
monstrous femininity

tales from the space between the heart and the body"

How do you move through a world that makes you uneasy with your body? This unease comes from lingering gazes and uninvited touches, working expectations 24h a day pushed over a 28 day body. A constant internal flow of voices of complaint, making us question ourselves while we need to question who molded this standard we’re trying to fit in.

The works are both an escape of these gendered forms of violence and a reclaiming of the body through the process of metamorphosis. A combination of materials which research tactility alongside softness and imagery that leans into fantasy. This exhibition tries to embody the escapist within me. Inviting the public to fall through the hatch into a space where I’ve gathered and twined together stories both in physical artworks as well as in an artist book, titled ‘Hatching between Two Trees’. In which two essays, prose and images look to translate these feelings and notions of the body and the context it reluctantly moves through.

‘Based between Antwerp and Gothenburg, Sam Druant works across different media, spanning textile, aquarelle drawings, text, and oil paintings. She holds a BA and MA in Textile Design from LUCA School of Arts in Ghent (BE), and an MFA in Fine Arts from HDK-Valand, University of Gothenburg (SE). Sam Druant’s work is grounded in research and a methodology of gathering. During this process, she engages with a constellation of sources in her surroundings, including images, texts, theories, and conversations, as she internalizes, interprets, and reshapes these materials within her practice.

Drawing on alternative feminine mythologies and feminist thought, Druant’s work explores desire, monstrous bodies, care for the (female) body, and the intricacies of human existence. Through a playful and ironic visual language, she disrupts dominant Western viewpoints by introducing counter-narratives and social critique. Her practice frequently involves activating installations through gatherings, creating a common space to exchange experiences, foster connections, and envision alternative futures.’
text by Isa Van den Wouwer

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My name is Sam Druant (b. 1998, Antwerp, Belgium). My artistic practice is rooted in exploring feminist themes through alternative narratives and magical thinking. I often begin with personal experiences, which expand and transform as they intersect with broader societal challenges, ultimately evolving into works that aspire to connect with audiences. Drawing inspiration from multiple writers and thinkers like Ursula K. Le Guin’s ideas of the carrier bag and gathering or the hatchery of Jennifer Bloomer, I reimagine knowledge and storytelling to challenge conventional structures.

Textiles are at the heart of my practice. I embrace their European historical association with femininity and the domestic sphere, using this tension to craft layered narratives about what it means to be a woman today. My works often take the form of colorful, intricate tapestries accompanied by prose or poetry, where material and text form a dialogue. Art and writing are my chosen tools to weave together stories, materials, and ideas.

Alongside this artistic practice, I want to transparently share references, footnotes and voices which inspire me. I aim to do so by hosting moments and collective readings, where these knowledges can be encountered by the public, creating spaces for relational aesthetics. With these engagements, I hope to collectively imagine alternative worlds and ways of living on earth. I hold a BA and MA in Textile Design from LUCA School of Arts Ghent and an MFA in Fine Arts from HDK-Valand University of Gothenburg, where I expanded my textile-based practice into a research-driven approach.