Meet: Sam van Strien
- Written byGiada Maestra
- Published date 06 October 2025
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We caught up with Central Saint Martins’ Fine Art graduate Sam van Strien to discuss his art practice exploring the relationship between architecture, finance, and capitalism. Since graduating, Sam has pursued a career spanning teaching, residencies, and exhibitions in Europe, Asia, and the United States. His work - ranging from large-scale rubbings and drawings to laser-cut engravings - reflects a sustained interest in how the built environment shapes, and is shaped by, broader socio-economic forces.
Since graduating from CSM in 2014 and completing an MFA in Painting and Drawing at Ohio State University in 2017, Sam has exhibited at venues including Trinity Buoy Wharf in London, Keumsan Gallery in Seoul, and the Knoxville Museum of Art, where he recently contributed to the exhibition Electricity for All. He has held residencies at USF Verftet in Bergen, Norway; PADA Studios in Lisbon; and Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Tennessee. In January 2026, Sam will join Indiana University as Assistant Professor in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, teaching in the school’s innovative Master of Architecture program, which bridges studio art with architectural design.
Hi Sam! What inspired you to choose Fine Art at CSM?
I grew up in the West Midlands and was always aware of the incredible artists and designers who had studied at Central Saint Martins – people like Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh, Peter Doig, and especially Frank Auerbach, who was one of my favourite painters as a teenager. I remember poring over his paintings in books from the library and being struck by the intensity of his mark-making. As a teenager I went on trips to London, visiting places like Tate Britain and the National Gallery, where I was amazed to see those works in person and feeling part of such a vibrant art world.
Those early encounters made the idea of studying at CSM feel both daunting and exciting. I knew I wanted to be in London, to immerse myself in its world-class art scene, and to study in a city as vibrant and dynamic as the capital.
Were you practicing Fine Art before enrolling in the course?
Before starting at CSM, I went to Byam Shaw School of Art (now part of Central Saint Martins) in North London for my Foundation in Art & Design. It was an important year for me – I've had the chance to learn from incredible tutors and technicians, experimenting with different mediums, from painting and printmaking to drawing.It was also when I began developing an interest in architecture and urban space, influenced by such an architecturally diverse city.
During secondary school, I took evening classes at Warwick University and was lucky enough to have very supportive teachers in Sixth Form, who encouraged me to pursue an artistic path more seriously.
How has the course shaped or influenced your artistic approach?
The Fine Art course at CSM gave me the support and space to explore a wide range of interests: from painting, bookmaking, and drawing to printmaking and darkroom photography. I really valued the breadth of approaches to making and thinking that were encouraged, as well as the experience of working alongside students from all over the world. One of my earliest projects, led by our tutor Mick Finch, asked us to engage with the local community and the context of Archway in North London.
I remember spending time sketching and photographing outside a local café and being struck by how much the rhythms of everyday life - conversations, architecture, movement - shaped the character of a place. That project was a turning point for me; it sparked my interest in the relationship between the built environment and the people who inhabit it, and it continues to inform how I think about my practice today.
Could you tell us more about your career so far?
After graduating from CSM, I pursued a fully funded MFA in Painting and Drawing at Ohio State University - a path recommended to me by my tutor Mick Finch, who had previously exhibited and collaborated with faculty there in the US. Since then, I’ve been teaching, making, and exhibiting my work internationally, with shows at venues including Trinity Buoy Wharf in London, Keumsan Gallery in Seoul, and the Knoxville Museum of Art in Tennessee.
In 2022, I was awarded a Developing Your Creative Practice Grant from Arts Council England, which supported the growth of my practice. I’ve also been fortunate to take part in residencies at USF Verftet in Bergen, Norway; PADA Studios in Lisbon, Portugal; and most recently at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Tennessee, where I was a 2024-25 Artist-in-Residence.
Each of these opportunities has allowed me to expand my practice, whether by experimenting with new materials, responding to different architectural contexts, or engaging with local communities and artists.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to be joining Indiana University in January 2026 as an Assistant Professor of Architecture in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, where I’ll help shape the school’s innovative Master of Architecture program, which bridges studio art with architectural design.
You recently took part in Electricity for All, an exhibition at the Knoxville Museum of Art. How did it feel to be involved? Which of your pieces were on display?
It was a real honour to be part of Electricity for All. The exhibition examined the relationship between technology, information, and power through the historical framework of the Tennessee Valley Authority, a 1930s New Deal initiative that used dams to bring electricity and industry to the Tennessee River Valley. The TVA completely reshaped the region, turning what had been a largely agricultural area into a major industrial hub. But that progress came with a heavy cost: thousands of people were displaced through eminent domain, and entire towns were flooded to make way for the dams. What I found particularly engaging about the exhibition was that it brought together such a range of voices, from Nam June Paik and Beryl Korot to Petra Cortright and Elias Sime, each exploring the implications of technology, modernisation, and progress in very different ways.
For me, I was less drawn to the monumental New Deal dams themselves - which are awe-inspiring in scale - and more to the vernacular architecture and everyday lives that were disrupted and displaced by them. My contribution to the exhibition was a series of large-scale rubbings and laser-cut engravings that create tactile representations of rustic cabin structures, built by early American settlers, now preserved in the regional Museum of Appalachia. These cabins, relocated during the construction of Norris Dam near Knoxville, offered a powerful lens on the region’s architectural heritage.
What draws me to working with these cabin structures is how they carry the memory of people and places lost in the drive for modernisation. Presenting this work in Tennessee - where those histories remain deeply resonant - made the experience especially powerful. It was humbling to witness audiences connect with the pieces and to engage in conversations about the ways state power, architecture, and the environment have long shaped one another, and how those dynamics persist today.
Do you have any recommendations for future Fine Art alumni on how to submit their work to museums or galleries?
My advice would be to start by researching institutions or galleries whose mission and exhibitions align with your work and values - sending submissions blindly is rarely effective.
Take the time to tailor your application, whether it’s your artist statement, CV, or images, so it clearly communicates why your work fits with their program. Networking is also key (a friend once joked that your “network is your networth”): attend openings, talks, and residencies, and connect with curators and fellow artists - genuine relationships often open doors in ways that formal submissions alone cannot.
For example, I connected with Kelsie Conley, the curator of Electricity for All at the Knoxville Museum of Art, during a studio visit while I was at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts. It was a valuable opportunity to discuss our mutual research on TVA dam projects and the work I was developing during my residency.
Finally, be persistent, patient, and resilient. Rejection is part of the process, but every submission is also an opportunity to reflect on how to present your work and your practice.
