Sam Keller (b. 1986, Brooklyn, NY) is a Los Angeles-based artist whose sculptures, paintings, and mixed media works explore the aesthetic and functional limits of discarded consumer goods. Whether transfiguring...
Sam Keller (b. 1986, Brooklyn, NY) is a Los Angeles-based artist whose sculptures, paintings, and mixed media works explore the aesthetic and functional limits of discarded consumer goods.
Whether transfiguring crushed beverage cans into opulent, Swarovski-studded works of art or elevating Cheetos Puffs into geometric sculptures, Keller’s work playfully transforms familiar, mass-produced products into unique art objects. The core of each piece Keller creates is built almost exclusively around found, acquired, or appropriated commercial materials. By appropriating elements of commercial branding and positioning consumerism in an art context, Keller’s work functions as a sort of fun-house mirror to American capitalist culture: reflecting, yet also distorting.
Keller’s work has been showcased in solo exhibitions at Patrick Parrish Gallery in New York, NY (2023); Louis Buhl & Co. in Detroit, MI (2021); Andrew Rafacz Gallery in Chicago, Il (2019); and Ed. Varie, NYC (2018). His work has also been featured in group shows at Hashimoto Contemporary in SF and LA (2019, 2021); East Hampton Shed in East Hampton, NY (2021); Eric Firestone Gallery in East Hampton, NY (2019); My Pet Ram in NYC (2021); and Martha’s Contemporary in Austin, TX (2018, 2020).