Artist Statement

Sam Frésquez

Sam Frésquez (b. 1996, Mesa, Arizona) lives and works in Phoenix, Arizona. Her work often explores how we speak publicly about private experiences.

Through film, performance, and sculpture, Frésquez employs culturally and historically significant materials—including hair, jewelry, found footage, and text—to interrogate how we present ourselves, or how we see ourselves represented or excluded from mainstream consciousness. Woven into the artist’s work are her interests in adornment, stereotypes, and the dichotomy between personal and public narratives.

Frésquez received a BFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Arizona State University in 2019. The artist’s work is in the permanent collection of the Tucson Museum of Art and was featured at the museum’s 2020 Arizona Biennial. Frésquez has exhibited at the Phoenix Art Museum and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and has been the recipient of artist residencies at Xico Galeria, the Haystack Mountain School, New York Arts Practicum, MASS MoCA, and CALA Alliance. Frésquez is represented by Lisa Sette Gallery.

Previous Page

Installation view of Sam Frésquez: Second Place is the First Loser. CALA Alliance, Phoenix, Arizona, October 7–November 4, 2022.

Next page

Installation view of Sam Frésquez: Second Place is the First Loser. Calderón Gallery, New York, November 29–December 17, 2022.