The first in the series will feature the work of Oscar Tuazon and Eli Hansen and will be on view at SAM Downtown through October 26, 2008. For SAM Next, the artists will build an architectural fragment in the gallery entitled Kodiak. This structure will allude to another fragment Tuazon and Hansen are building in a remote wilderness location, and the viewer will be called upon to imagine the differences and commonalities between these two fictional places.

Their recent collaborative projects have revolved around do-it-yourself architectural concepts and utopian, off-the-grid communities. In objects and installations (often utilizing hand-blown glass) their work offers intriguing proposals for new forms and structures. One of their works, Crystal Math (2007) entered SAM's collection in 2007.

The second exhibition in the SAM Next series will feature Enrico David and will open on November 8, 2008. David (b. 1966) is an Italian artist who has been based in London for many years. David was recently featured in a solo exhibition at London's Institute of Contemporary Art and has exhibited widely, but this will be his first solo exhibition in the United States. Known for work that combines personal narrative as well as a range of craft, David has created a body of work that is mysterious, idiosyncratic, and yet deeply humane. Ideas of loneliness, vulnerability, and loss coexist in his work with imagery that is also joyous and often theatrical. Sculpture, installation, collage, photography, performance and painting all figure into his wide-ranging work. A major sculpture, Wayne Shire (2006) entered SAM's collection in 2006. -- www.seattleartmuseum.org