About three years ago, James G. Leventhal, director of the Institute of Contemporary Art in San José, first encountered Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa’s charcoal drawings during a visit to the pt.2 Gallery in Oakland. Discovering that the artist maintained a studio upstairs, Leventhal took the opportunity to meet him.
Reflecting on the meeting at his West Oakland studio, Samayoa recalled Leventhal’s genuine appreciation and encouragement for his work.
Leventhal’s admiration runs deep. He regards Samayoa, 30, as a contemporary counterpart to Francisco Goya, the renowned Spanish artist from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Samayoa’s portrayals of dogs and community members from his Sacramento childhood capture a profound sense of humanity reminiscent of Goya’s evocative paintings.
“One of the truly extraordinary aspects of Esteban’s artistry is his near-unique talent for replicating reality through two-dimensional media,” Leventhal explained. “His ability to depict a dog’s fur or the delicate outline of a paw resting on the floor is astonishingly lifelike, yet it’s a crafted illusion. Rendering reality with charcoal demands mastery, and when done well, it transcends mere technique. During a recent visit, I found myself saying, ‘You’re on par with Goya. It’s incredible.’”
Leventhal’s enthusiastic support expedited Samayoa’s arrival at the ICA for his first solo institutional exhibition. Remarkably, only six months passed between curator Zoë Latzer’s initial studio visit and the show’s late March opening.
