Anna Sampson "Disgrace"

Anna Sampson "Disgrace" 2024

Photography, Archival pigment print, Framed
Dimensions: Artwork 12 x 18in, Framed 16 x 20in
Limited Edition of 5 + 2AP
Signed and numbered by artist

Anna Sampson is a London-based photographic artist specialising in shooting and printing on film, with all her artworks created in the darkroom. A graduate of Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts (2015) and UCL (2022), her work has been exhibited internationally and featured in renowned publications such as DAZED, i-D, AnOther, Purple Fashion, Gay Times and The Face. In July 2024, Anna released her debut artbook, Other Intimacies, in collaboration with the Hayward Gallery.

In her practice, Anna employs a queer erotic gaze to explore the erotic potential of the body, as well as the intersections of performance, queerness, and resistance. Her work is deeply rooted in personal life experience and informed by intersectional feminism, particularly the overlapping dynamics of gender, sexuality, race, class, and the politics of the personal. At the heart of her artistic vision is a commitment to social justice, centering those marginalised and oppressed by the patriarchy. Her postgraduate study in Gender & Sexuality at UCL further fuels her practice, bridging academic inquiry with artistic expression in the pursuit of advancing social change.

ARTIST STATEMENT

The artworks exhibited in 'UPRISE 2025' are from the artist's new body of work, “Other Intimacies”. 

“Other Intimacies” is a new independently published book which explores the boundaries of erotica as a genre, reclaiming it from the oppressive heritage of the male gaze prevalent in the 20th century. It also shines a spotlight on the themes which largely remain in the shadows in contemporary society: queer desire and intimacy, subversive exploration of gender, the politics of sexual autonomy, sex work and the unapologetic, embodied exploration of self.

Published in the limited edition of 300 and printed using lithography, “Other Intimacies” is the reflection of Sampson’s life within the queer and sex workers’ communities, as well as the development of her artistic practice over the last 8 years. The book reflects her lasting commitment to portraiture, darkroom processes and platforming radical, and frequently othered, beauty. 

Learn more about the exhibition on our website.