The National Gallery has named Mohammed Sami as its Artist in Residence for 2027. Celebrated for his powerful paintings of psychologically charged interiors and landscapes, Sami investigates both the possibilities and limits of painting as a means of evoking the memories of moments passed. His works often depict sites marked by conflict yet deliberately refrain from portraying acts of violence themselves. Instead, through nuanced painterly dexterity, he presents traces, fragments and remnants, constructing enigmatic scenes where the absence of human figures welcomes contemplation and interpretation.
Sami has been invited to develop his artistic practice in dialogue with the National Gallery’s collection. Having begun his residency in August 2026, he will spend a year working in the Gallery’s onsite studio, with exceptional access to its collection and archives. The residency will culminate in a publication and presentation of new work in July 2027, alongside the acquisition of a work produced during the programme for the Lightbox Gallery & Museum, Woking, the residency’s partner institution.
The award is delivered in partnership with the Contemporary Art Society and is generously supported by Suling Mead, who will acquire an artwork created during the residency for the Lightbox Gallery – which will be the first acquisition for the Lightbox Gallery as a Contemporary Art Society Museum Member. The jury to select Sami comprised Anne Barlow, Director, Tate St Ives; Sarah Brown, Director, Lightbox Gallery, Woking; Caroline Douglas, Director, Contemporary Art Society; Lisa Milroy, Artist; Melanie Pocock, Artistic Director, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; and was chaired by Daniel F. Herrmann, Ardalan Curator of Modern & Contemporary Projects, National Gallery, London. The panel was particularly impressed by Sami’s distinctive engagement with painting and history. They were especially enthusiastic about the potential for his practice to develop through his engagement with the National Gallery’s collection.
The Artist in Residence programme offers a mid-career artist the unique opportunity to develop their work within the context of the museum, benefitting from unparalleled access to the National Gallery’s holdings. Through the partnership between the National Gallery and the Lightbox Gallery, Sami will be able to respond both to the Gallery’s collection of historic Western European paintings and to the cultural and historical context of Woking and Surrey, where the Lightbox Gallery is situated.
Sami is the sixth Artist in Residence to be chosen since the launch of the Gallery’s new Modern and Contemporary Programme, following the appointment of Rosalind Nashashibi in 2020, Ali Cherri in 2021, Céline Condorelli in 2023, Katrina Palmer in 2024, and Ming Wong in 2025.
In 2027 the National Gallery will present a number of displays dedicated to the engagement between artists and the tradition of art itself from the 13th century to the present day as part of its development of Project Domani. In addition to our Artist in Residence 2027 display, there will be an exhibition by Wangechi Mutu, recipient of the 2026 National Gallery with Art Fund Contemporary Artist Fellowship in the summer of 2027.
Mohammed Sami says:‘There was a time when black and white images from the National Gallery’s collection reached my homeland. When I was young, it felt like a dream even to imagine seeing them in colour. Time seems to have reversed past and present, placing me in the same orbit as these paintings. This is more than an opportunity; it is a turning point in my career. My deepest thanks to the National Gallery for entrusting me with this extraordinary honour.’
Daniel F. Herrmann, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Projects, says: ‘Mohammed Sami’s technically accomplished and conceptually complex works sit within a long tradition of painting that continually questions and delights in its own medium. We are looking forward to working with Sami at this exciting moment in his career, and as the Gallery begins to expand its story of the history of painting into the 20th and 21st centuries.’
Caroline Douglas, Director, Contemporary Art Society, says: ‘Mohammed Sami is one of the most compelling painters working today, and it is a rare privilege to support an artist of his calibre through a residency that places him in such close dialogue with the National Gallery’s collection. We are especially thrilled that this residency inaugurates our partnership with the Lightbox Gallery & Museum as a Contemporary Art Society Museum Member – a painting made by Sami will be acquired by the Lightbox next year, forming a significant contribution to its contemporary collection. Our thanks go to Suling Mead, whose generous support makes our ongoing partnership with the National Gallery possible.’
Sarah Brown, Director of The Lightbox Gallery & Museum, says: ‘We are delighted to be working with the National Gallery and Contemporary Art Society on the Artist in Residence programme. We are very excited as this is the first acquisition for Lightbox as a Contemporary Art Society Museum Member, and we look forward to seeing how the acclaimed artist Mohammed Sami’s paintings respond to the experience of spending time with the National Gallery collection. It is wonderful that a painting from this period will join our collection at Lightbox Gallery & Museum for future generations to enjoy.’
