Sam Leach, born Adelaide 1973, completed a Bachelor of Economics at Adelaide University, in 1993. In 2004 he graduated from RMIT University in Melbourne with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) and later completed a Master of Arts (Fine Arts) in 2009. He is currently completing a PHD in Fine Art.
Leach’s precise oil paintings, executed in meticulous detail and encased in resin, thematically and stylistically draw upon the tradition of 17th century Dutch painting. In an ongoing investigation, Leach re-contextualises past histories of the progression of technology to explore the relationship between animals and technology, and the subsequent affect of scientific developments on the human and non-human bond.
In 2010 Leach won both Wynne and Archibald Prizes at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He was a finalist for the Royal Bank of Scotland Emerging Artist Award in 2009. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include The Ecstasy of Infrastructure, TarraWarra Museum of Art, VIC, 2011 and Cosmists, 24HR ART, Northern Territory of Contemporary Art, Darwin (2010). Leach was recently included in a group show 2112 Imagining the Future, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne and at Xin Dong Cheng Space for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2011). Other shows include Neo Goth: Back in Black, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane (2008), Contemporary Australia: Optimism, Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (2008) and Horror – Come Darkness, Macquarie University Art Gallery, Sydney (2009).