Alumni Spotlight: Samer Abdelnour, Contemporary Art Practice

Why did you choose to study on the Contemporary Art Practice Course at Leith School of Art?  

I first learned about Leith School of Art and the Contemporary Art Practice course from Kari Robertson, a friend, visual artist, scholar based at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, and LSA alumnus. I’ve never received any formal art training but spent years engaging with artist-activists and had a lot of ideas from my academic work. Hence, the CAP course seemed like an excellent step from which to explore my arts practice.
 

How would you describe your time at Leith School of Art? 

My time at Leith School of Art was wonderful. In fact, I looked forward to Thursdays, it became my favourite day of the week. One of the first things I learnt was to stop overthinking, ‘trust the process’, and take risks. At first, the CAP course was a bit intimidating. My peers were mostly artists with established practices. While I had a strong foundation in social theory and research methods, I initially tried to approach my arts practice linearly. I also thought I would approach projects that were closely aligned with my research interests. One day, Rachel McBrinn, our fabulous tutor, saw me struggling and told me to close my laptop and pick up some clay. That subtle but profound intervention pushed me out of my head and into tactile-led, emotive work. My second year built on the first relatively seamlessly. One thing I noticed was a greater confidence to just ‘pick things up’ and experiment, without knowing what the result might be. I think the conversations I was able to engage with were more thoughtful, which allowed me to take greater risks in my practice.
 
The second year of CAP was an important one for me. Halfway through the CAP course I was selected for the Jhalak Art Residency, which involved creating an artwork as an award for the Jhalak Prize, an annual prize awarded to a UK-based writer of colour. I made the clay model from which a bronze was cast at Leith School of Art. Also, the short film I produced for the moving picture brief has recently been accepted to be screened at the 2025 Nordic Palestinian Film Festival.
 

Have you kept up your practice since leaving the CAP Course? 

Without having the weekly structure and space, I found that it took me a while to keep my practice moving. However, I have found a great community at the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, where I am a member and have been doing a lot of work out of. The technicians (many of them artists), the wider team, and facilities are fabulous. I’m also just about to take on my first studio space, which is exciting. In terms of next steps, I am looking at possibilities in relation to furthering my contemporary arts practice through postgraduate studies. And I’ve also been considering Leith School of Art’s Figure course. I also feel blessed to be showing work at the Palestine Museum Scotland, which has just opened in Edinburgh on Dundas Street.
 
Do you have any advice for new and/or current students? 

If I have any advice at all it is enjoy the process, trust your mentor’s expertise, and take time to get to know your peers and LSA technicians.