I remember seeing Sam Kirk‘s work shortly after I’d moved to Chicago in the winter of 2010 and it was unlike anything I’d seen before – the line work, the colors, the aesthetic – it was incredibly bold and original, and I wanted to know more.
I’d been keeping up with new works from Sam and Provoke Culture online, and had made a few trips to Pilsen to look at her murals, when I saw the tables she designed at Cafe Jumping Bean. I made a point to park myself there with my computer or notebook on days I needed inspiration.
The messaging and narratives in Sam’s work are as rich and unflinching as the pieces themselves. Her style is singular in a way that makes it its own, but without being limited. On a passing train you can recognize her work in an instant but see various approaches and subject matter in her murals and exhibitions all over the city.
A great highlight of her work on sex trafficking can be seen here.
