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Sam Kissajukian

Sam Kissajukian (born 1986) is an Australian stand-up comedian and visual artist based in Sydney.[1] He is best known for combining live comedy with visual art in his autobiographical show 300 Paintings.[2]

Career

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Kissajukian began his stand-up career in the early 2010s on the local comedy circuit.[3][4]

In 2021, Kissajukian took a hiatus from stand-up to pursue visual art. During what was later diagnosed as a manic episode partly triggered by the strain of performing 150 shows in early 2020, he rented an abandoned warehouse in Sydney and, despite having no prior experience, produced 300 large-scale paintings over a five-month period in lockdown.[3][4][5]

Following this intense creative period, which ended in a depressive episode, Kissajukian was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder in May 2022.[3] He then channeled this experience into a new multimedia performance. Invited to present a show at the Sydney Fringe Festival in late 2022, Kissajukian combined his comedic background with his new artwork to create the solo show 300 Paintings.[3] In the performance, he narrated the story of the manic episode with his paintings projected as a visual backdrop.[6]

The show premiered at Sydney Fringe in September 2022, where it won both the Best Comedy and the Festival Director's Choice awards.[3][7] 300 Paintings subsequently toured nationally to festivals including the Melbourne Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Brisbane Comedy Festival, and Perth's Fringe World.[3] He went on to win the Best Comedy award again at the Sydney Fringe in 2023 for his continued performances.[8]

In 2023–2024, Kissajukian expanded on his work by developing a companion piece, Museum of Modernia.[8] Described as an immersive comedy show, the production uses a large LED screen to display his paintings, with Kissajukian acting as a guide through a fictitious digital museum.[8][9][10] At the 2024 Adelaide Fringe, Kissajukian's visual art and comedy were equally recognized: his free-standing art exhibition Paintings of Modernia won the festival's Eran Svigos Award for Best Visual Art (Solo Exhibition), and his live show Museum of Modernia received the Mental Health Awareness Award for its meaningful exploration of mental illness.[11][8][12]

Later in 2024, Kissajukian brought 300 Paintings to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for a month-long run at the Summerhall venue.[13][14] The show was well received in Edinburgh, earning a four-star review in The Scotsman for its "quirky and very enjoyable" exploration of creative obsession and mental health.[13] During the festival, Summerhall honored 300 Paintings with a Lustrum Award as one of the venue's most notable shows of the year.[15]

The show's success led to an international tour, and in the autumn of 2024, Kissajukian made his Off-Broadway debut with 300 Paintings at the Vineyard Theatre in New York.[16][17] The production's initial run sold out and was extended into early 2025. The show resonated with American critics; The New Yorker praised it as a "beautifully frank" solo piece.[5]

For his performance, Kissajukian received recognition within the New York theatre community in 2025. He was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, while the show was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Show.[18][19]

Exhibitions

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Kissajukian has held solo exhibitions at several notable galleries and venues, often alongside his performance shows. In 2023, his work was exhibited at the Maitland Regional Art Gallery in New South Wales and at the Brisbane Powerhouse.[3] He returned to the Brisbane Powerhouse with another exhibition in 2024 and also held a pop-up show at the Stanley Street Gallery in Sydney.[20] During the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, his paintings were displayed at Summerhall in Scotland.[21] Later that year, his work was exhibited at the Vineyard Theatre in New York City for a run that continued into 2025.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Sam and the three monkeys". ABC listen. June 8, 2013.
  2. ^ Topsfield, Jewel (April 10, 2024). "'I felt I had to be manic to produce things'". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Topsfield, Jewel (April 10, 2024). "'I felt I had to be manic to produce things'". Brisbane Times.
  4. ^ a b "'some days I didn't sleep and just kept painting'". PerthNow. July 13, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "300 Paintings". The New Yorker.
  6. ^ Miller, Deb (November 22, 2024). "Deep dive into the mind and work of a brilliant bipolar artist in '300 Paintings' Off-Broadway at Vineyard Theatre". DC Theater Arts.
  7. ^ "2023 Sydney Fringe Awards". Sydney Fringe.
  8. ^ a b c d Smerd, Georgina (March 2, 2024). "Fringe Review: Sam Kissajukian - Museum of Modernia".
  9. ^ "Sam Kissajukian: Museum Of Modernia art review – A uniquely human experience". The List.
  10. ^ "Interview: Sam Kissajukian". Fest Magazine. February 6, 2024.
  11. ^ Staff Writer (March 17, 2024). "Adelaide Fringe shines a spotlight on 2024 award winners".
  12. ^ Pascale, Louise (March 18, 2024). "Museum of Modernia Wins mindshare Mental Health Awareness Award".
  13. ^ a b "Edinburgh Fringe Festival theatre reviews: 300 Paintings | 1 in a Chameleon". The Scotsman. August 5, 2024.
  14. ^ Fisher, Mark (August 15, 2024). "Beyond the jokes: comedians switch to theatre at Edinburgh festival". The Guardian.
  15. ^ Cristi, A. A. "Photos: 300 PAINTINGS At Vineyard Theatre". BroadwayWorld.com.
  16. ^ Feng, Rhoda (29 November 2024). "Artists, then (As in the 17th Century) and Now". The New York Times.
  17. ^ "300 Paintings Returns Off-Broadway January 13 | Playbill".
  18. ^ "Our Class Leads 2025 Lucille Lortel Award Wins; Read the Complete List Here | Playbill".
  19. ^ "2024-2025 Drama Desk Awards nominations announced". ny1.com.
  20. ^ "Stanley Street Gallery". Stanley Street Gallery.
  21. ^ "300 Paintings - Summerhall Festival 2024".
  22. ^ "SAM KISSAJUKIAN: 300 PAINTINGS".