Samson Kambalu was born in Malawi in 1975. He moved to England after meeting his wife, a Scottish development worker, later obtaining his MA in Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University (2002–3) and his PhD from Chelsea College of Art and Design (2011-15). The themes of Kambalu's artwork are autobiographical, often serving as a critique of social structures, deriving inspiration from Nyau culture of the Chewa (known for use of ritual masks), the Situationist movement's rejection of reification theories, as well as influences from Protestantism. Kambalu is Professor of Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Art, Magdalen College, University of Oxford.
Artist, academic and novelist, Samson Kambalu was born in Malawi in 1975. Both his parents died after contracting Aids, along with other members of his family, though Kambalu himself was young enough to avoid the pandemic that spread across southern Africa during his childhood. He subsequently attended school at Kamazu Academy and studied for a BA in Fine Art and Ethnomusicology (1995–99) at the University of Malawi. He moved to England after meeting his wife, Susan, a Scottish development worker, later obtaining his MA in Fine Art from Nottingham Trent University (2002–3) and his PhD from Chelsea College of Art and Design (University of the Arts London, 2011-15). Kambalu later recalled that ‘I was in Britain a long time and it was impossible to get a show as an immigrant African. It was the preserve of white male artists’ (Armitstead 2022). He then discovered the reach of the internet and began posting one-minute humourous films of himself, clowning around, on YouTube, when the channel was in its infancy. The films were spotted by a South African gallerist, who gave him a solo show, which led to his invitation to participate in the Venice Biennale.
Kambalu's art practice is multifaceted, crossing disciplines and art forms, encompassing site-specific installation, video, drawing and painting, performance and literature. The themes of his artwork are autobiographical, often serving as a critique of social structures, deriving inspiration from Nyau culture of the Chewa (known for use of ritual masks), the Situationist movement's rejection of reification theories, as well as influences from Protestantism, such as perspectives of inquiry, criticism and dissent. His first novel, The Jive Talker or How to Get a British Passport (2008), was a recounting of his experiences growing up in Africa and was presented in a performative reading tour around Europe. His sculpture Antelope, a reconfiguration of the photograph of Baptist preacher and pan-Africanist John Chilembwe (who was killed as troops suppressed his rebellion in 1915) and the European missionary John Chorley, was selected to be situated on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square between September 2022 to 2024. The work depicted Chilembwe's protest against colonial rule, his wearing of a hat serving as an act of defiance against the rule forbidding Africans from doing so around white people. Kambalu referred to the Nyau masking tradition by calling the bronze ‘Antelope’, the animal that was a vital figure in the satirical art form — and which was also the meaning of Chilembwe's name in Chichewa, Malawi's most widely spoken language. Other notable works and exhibitions have included Holy Ball (2000), a football wrapped in pages of the Bible, his Black Jack installation at London's South Bank Centre (2021), and New Liberia, presented at Modern Art Oxford in 2021.
Samson Kambalu has exhibited internationally and is a Professor of Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Art, Magdalen College, University of Oxford. In the UK public domain his digital video Moses (Burning Bush) (2015) is held in the collection of Bury Art Museum.
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Samson Kambalu]
Publications related to [Samson Kambalu] in the Ben Uri Library