South African artist Cinga Samson is currently presenting a series of large-scale oil paintings in a solo exhibition titled "Ukuphuthelwa" at White Cube in New York. The works feature dreamlike, nocturnal tableaux characterized by deep pigments, spectral figures with all-white eyes, and symbolic animals that bridge the earthly and divine. The title, which translates from isiXhosa as "unable to sleep," frames sleeplessness as a state of heightened spiritual alertness rather than a medical condition.
Samson’s practice challenges the limits of representation by blending the narrative readability of Western history painting with an intentional sense of mystery and the sublime. By depicting figures engaged in ritualistic activities within natural landscapes, the artist explores the tension between the knowable and the concealed. The exhibition highlights Samson's rising influence in contemporary figurative painting and his ability to infuse everyday experiences with a sense of sacredness and ceremony.