Sam Shendi is an Egyptian-born, British sculptor. He uses contemporary industrial material, steel, stainless steel, aluminium and fibreglass to create his figurative work. He lives and works in North Yorkshire.
Early life
Sam Shendi was born in 1975 on the Nile Delta in a small town called Dekernes. He graduated from the Helwan University of Fine Arts in Cairo in 1997 with a first class honours degree in Sculpture and Architecture. In 1996 he won the Mahmoud Mokhtar Sculpture Award. Shendi moved to Britain in 2000 and became a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors in 2014.
Work
Split Decision a sculpture created by Sam Shendi in Liverpool in February 2020.
Shendi's early work primarily utilized bronze and stainless steel. His later semi-abstract figures incorporate curved forms and varied color palettes. While the pieces exhibit uniform finishes, each is handmade using contemporary industrial materials, including car filler and spray paint, and finished by manual sanding. The figures include loosely human forms as well as animal and bird hybrids, drawing on Egyptian art and architecture.
Shendi is represented by Graham's Fine Art Gallery, Johannesburg. Shendi's work has been collected by art collectors and organisations in South Africa, Panama, Taiwan, Germany, United Kingdom and United States.
"Celebrate 5 artists who have lit up the genre: Barbara HepWorth, Henry Moore, Thomas Housesgo, Sam Shendi and Emma Stothard". The Yorkshire Post. 26 November 2016.
