19 January 2023

York Art Gallery is thrilled to have acquired two works by Yorkshire-based artist Sam Metz: a wooden sculpture titled Stone and a pencil drawing study for the sculpture. The artist was granted a bursary through Unlimited to produce these works. Metz works across drawing, sculpture, performance and installation and aims to capture the unpredictable nature of disabled bodies, and how their very presence transgresses societal restrictions.  

As a neurodivergent and disabled performer, short performances are an intrinsic part of the development of Metz’s visual practice. The movements are made ‘solid’, poeticising the fleeting interruptions of the disabled body by making lasting documentation through drawing-as-stimming, film, animation and sculptural installation. Metz’s work seeks to legitimise non-verbal and alternative body-based communication and invites others to participate in this creative play.  Our acquisition of a sculpture and associated drawing by Metz allows us to appreciate their varied methods of self-expression and the important relationship between the two mediums. 

Since 2012, York Art Gallery has been actively developing a collection of modern and contemporary depictions and explorations of the human body, with the aim to diversify its collection. At first, the main goal was to increase the number of works by women artists. In recent years there has been a further focus on collecting and acquiring works by LGBTQIA+ artists and artists from the Global Majority. 

Becky Gee, Curator of Fine Art at York Art Gallery said: “Ensuring that our collection is representative of our diverse society is a major concern for us as curators. Our contemporary collecting around the body allows us to focus on a universal theme that means something different to each of us as individuals. Sam is an exciting Yorkshire-based artist whose collaborative practice reflects on their personal experience whilst posing larger questions to challenge societal conventions that exclude those with disabilities. The way in which Sam gradually abstracts their body within this work is exemplary of the wide range of possibilities for this collection strand.” 

Sam Metz, artist, said: 

“This is the first time that my work has been acquired by a collection and it means a lot to me when I consider the legacy of my work as a disabled, queer artist. It feels particularly warming for the work to have been funded by Harold Gosney, and to have my sculptural work, which is supported by Yorkshire Sculpture International, held in this esteem. It has energised me to create new work.” 

Metz has recently had solo exhibitions at The Art House, Wakefield (2022), the Attenborough Arts Centre, University of Leicester (2022) and Hull Artist Research Initiative (2021). They were also artist in residence at Leeds Art Gallery as part of the DASH (Disability Arts Shropshire) WAIWAV project (2022). Prior to this they have worked with and received funding from Jerwood Arts, Tate Exchange, Shape Arts and Nottingham Contemporary. They are currently working on projects with 87 Gallery, Hull and have recently began studying for a MA in Art and Ecology at Goldsmiths, London. This is the first time their work has been acquired by a public collection. 

The sculpture and study on paper together provide a valuable insight into the artist’s process and connect the work to other parts of our collection. The acquisition has been generously funded by artist Harold Gosney, a long-term donor and friend of York Museums Trust. With this acquisition, York Art Gallery can continue to build an equitable collection that is representative of Yorkshire, and the nation, in 2022 and beyond. The sculpture will go on display in our permanent collection galleries in January 2023.