Listening in the silence: the art of abstraction

“Don’t look for meaning in the words. Listen to the silences” said Samuel Beckett, the great Irish playwright and novelist. With this insight into his œuvre, Beckett reminds us that silences hold doors open in dialogue, inviting us through.¹ Sam Lock, the acclaimed British artist’s overarching fascination with excavating what lies beneath the surface of things, beyond those open doorways, is quite literally reflected in the architectural layers of his work, forming a structure that is imbued with both meaning and life.