Gyan Samara

Gyan Samara is a Boston-based visual artist whose expressive oil paintings explore human connection and the natural world. Specializing in figurative, plein-air landscape, and floral works, Gyan blends impressionistic brushwork with bold Fauvist color. His ongoing Painted Portrait Project focuses on gay male figurative painting, created from shared images and lived narratives that explore intimacy, anonymity, and presence through color and gesture. Raised in Europe and the U.S., his multicultural perspective informs a career spanning over 25 years in the arts. Gyan has led over 50 community mural projects, therapeutic arts initiatives, and programs serving immigrant communities. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, offering a deeply personal and luminous visual language rooted in memory, movement, and social impact.

Masters of International Education, Endicott College
Master of Fine Arts, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Rhode Island School of Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design

Solo Exhibits:
2024: 2024 Landscapes, November Exhibit, Pick Me Up Café, Andersonville, Chicago, IL.
2024: Circular Landscapes, Chicago, IL.

2023: Plein Air Landscapes from 2021, exhibit: Philz Coffee in Hyde Park, Chicago, IL.
2021: New Beginnings, Pandemic: Urban Paws, Chicago, IL.
2018: Painting in North Georgia, 2Dog Cafe, Gainesville GA.
2016: Summer Plein Air Paintings of 2015, Haitian American Museum of Chicago.
2016: Chicago Neighborhoods, Treasurer's Office City Hall, Chicago, IL.
2009: Colores y Sabores de Mexico, Galeria Plastika de Arte, Mexico City, Mexico.
Murals:
2022: Columbia College of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
-Led a special mural project with immigrant youth to paint a mural for Chicago Artist Jonathan Castillo’s “Unaccompanied” exhibit.
2020-22: International Children’s Reception Center, ORR Shelter, Chicago, IL.
-Painted, trained, and coordinated staff teams to paint 16-themed 9’ x 12’ x 9' bedroom makeover murals with immigrant youth.
2021 - 22: International Children’s Center Beverly, ORR Shelter, Chicago, IL.
-Painted a 15’ x 50’ landscape mural inspired by artist W. Thiebaud.
2020: Manuel Saura Center, Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative, Chicago, IL.
-Painted a 10’ x 45’, 450 sq. ft. 360-degree landsca...