By: Darryl Reilly
“Every time someone laughs, it feels like a gold star on my heart.” So, muses Australian performer Sam Kissajukian before launching into childhood reminiscences in his hilarious and thoughtful solo show, 300 Paintings. It is a stimulating 80 minutes of confessional commentary matched with projections of his striking artworks which unintentionally recall those of Picasso, Matisse, Joan Miró, Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and Basquiat, and other masters.
Mr. Kissajukian is a Sydney native who pursed a career as a standup comedian for 10 years with middling results. In 2021, after putting on a beret, he decides to abandon comedy and become an artist, having never studied art or painted before. He sets up a studio in an abandoned cake factory, and for the next six frenzied months, paints and paints. Because he doesn’t know how to depict eyes, his early works include a lot of sunglasses. He begins with absurdist self-portraits and likenesses of friends, and moves on to more ambitious works. This endeavor leads to commission offers and a wacky business venture with a financier involving black T-shirts painted with bleach, decorating pennies and a virtual museum. Then it was on to exhibitions in major venues in Australia and The United Kingdom.
The bearded and athletic Kissajukian has an ingratiating stage presence; he marvelously veers from deadpan to animated during his witty patter. His charming Australian accent enhances his droll delivery and superior comic timing. He smoothly holds forth and is enthralling, especially when after much whimsey there is pain. It was after these recounted six months that Kissajukian became paralyzed by depression and was diagnosed as bipolar; this had all been a manic episode. The 300 paintings he had created reflect his varying mental states. His diagnosis leads to a tender appreciation of Van Gough, with a self-portrait shown next to Kissajukian’s idiosyncratic reproduction. Previously there was a comparison of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper with Kissajukian’s comically primitive rendition. There is no mention of Kissajukian’s personal life during the show, perhaps that subject will be the basis for a future exploration.
While detailing his mental health, we learn that it effects 300 Paintings. It is structured but unscripted; depending on his state of mind, its length varies as he goes off on tangents and extends or minimizes portions. The show was presented at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and received eight Fringe Festival Awards in Australia including the Sydney Fringe Festival Award for Best Comedy and Directors Choice Award. This New York City premiere is presented by the Vineyard Theatre in association with Sally Horchow and Matt Ross.
“To reach a point and go no further is the definition of an ending, I’m no good at endings” explains Kissajukian before he takes a bow and leaves the stage. Prior to this, the audience had been invited to tour four spaces in the theater hung with his paintings and to interact with him in the lobby.
“I’m not interested in perfection; I’m interested in spontaneity” declared the great American film director William Friedkin. 300 Paintings is spontaneous perfection.
300 Paintings (through February 23, 2025)
The Vineyard Theatre in association with Sally Horchow and Matt Ross
Vineyard Theatre, 108 East 15th Street, in Manhattan
For tickets, visit www.vineyardtheatre.org
Running time: 80 minutes with no intermission