Biography and Artist Statement
Biography
Samantha Cornetta (they/them) was born in Stony Brook, New York on May 24, 2000. They studied history until 2020, when, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, they decided to take a gap year and reevaluate personal and academic goals. During this time, they began to revisit the world of art, exploring the healing and spiritual elements of painting and drawing. Drawing inspiration from psychedelics, spirituality, psychology and philosophy, Sam uses their art as a tool for both introspection and to make a statement.
They are also deeply drawn to social justice, particularly issues regarding LGBTQ+ and worker's rights. In 2021, they became a lead union organizer at their Starbucks, leading to the unionization of the first store in Suffolk County. They hope to combine these passions as they move forward in their career.
Sam is now pursuing their Bachelor of Arts as a Studio Art major at Stony Brook University and is set to graduate in December 2023.
My Artist Statement
My paintings are an examination of self. Often incorporating mixed media, I create unconventional self-portraits that are layered, truthful, and revealing. I rapidly apply, build, and scrape paint, in a shamanistic attempt to release and breathe my soul into the compositions before me.
As a queer artist growing up in an ultraconservative household, I felt that I was never truly visible and never truly heard. As I grew into an adult, I found my strength, my identity, and my voice. Owning my identity fundamentally changed or strained all my relationships. Speaking my voice ultimately cost me my family. My art ‘process’ confronts these traumas and experiences. It is the space in which I engage with the heavy emotional turmoil I often find myself grappling within. It is catharsis. I use my art process to heal, to process and understand, to propose questions and answer them.
I create to be seen, to be heard, to connect with others who see themselves in my shoes, to heal and document my healing journey. My paintings explore my identity, my history, my traumas, my fears, my aspirations, my experiences, and my beliefs. Every scrape of paint and textured surface allows me a tangible look within, and my work becomes a tactile journal, through which I can share my innermost workings with the world.