Sam Keller “Can (Montauk Summer Ale)” Sculpture

SAM KELLER (b. 1986, New York) is a Los Angeles-based artist whose work explores the aesthetic and functional limits of discarded consumer goods. Whether transfiguring crushed beverage cans into opulent, Swarovski-studded works of art or elevating Cheetos Puffs into geometric sculptures, Keller’s work playfully transforms familiar, mass-produced products into unique art objects. The core of each piece Keller creates is built almost exclusively around found, acquired, or appropriated commercial materials, ranging from reclaimed wheatpaste billboards to abandoned public auction advertisements. By appropriating elements of commercial branding and positioning consumerism in an art context, Keller’s work functions as a sort of fun-house mirror to American capitalist culture: reflecting, yet also distorting.

Raised in Brooklyn, NY, Keller currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. He received a BFA in Painting from The Rhode Island School of Design in 2009 and an MFA in Sculpture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2020.

Keller’s work has been featured in publications such as Vogue’s August 2024 print issue. His work has been showcased in solo exhibitions at Louis Buhl & Co. in Detroit, MI (2021), Andrew Rafacz Gallery in Chicago, IL (2019), and Ed. Varie, NYC (2018). Group shows featuring his work have been held at Suomei Gallery in Shanghai (2023 – 2024), Patrick Parrish Gallery in NYC (2023), Hashimoto Contemporary in SF and LA (2019, 2021), East Hampton Shed in East Hampton, NY (2021), Eric Firestone Gallery in East Hampton, NY (2019), My Pet Ram in NYC (2021), and Martha’s Contemporary in Austin, TX (2018, 2020).