Summerhall, one of Edinburgh’s busiest venues, known for its innovative, cutting-edge programme, has had a tough time over the last year. The premises have been sold, making its future as an all-year-round arts centre unsure. Notwithstanding, at this year’s Fringe, Summerhall Arts – its new name – is presenting its most ambitious programme to date, spanning music, art, dance, performance, cabaret and theatre. Three Hundred Paintings, written and performed by Sam Kissajukian, has returned to Edinburgh by popular demand for a second Fringe run. In 2024 it was sold out and received rave reviews, and at this year’s Festival, it looks like doing the same.
The setting couldn’t be simpler: an empty stage, with a large screen at the back, which is used during the performance to project Kissajukian’s paintings. This dynamic performer begins by explaining how in 2021 he abandoned a successful career in Sidney, Australia, as a stand-up comedian, to become a painter. He may have left stand up, but the skills he acquired well equip him for his role in this one person show, during which he makes ample use of direct audience address, rapidly sketching multiple characters, and showing a remarkable ability to make his story hilariously funny, even when it is dripping with adversity. The adversity is an episode of manic bipolarism, which he suffered during the Covid epidemic. It was then that he hit on the idea of becoming an artist, in a bid to understand better his state of mind. He rents an old cake factory in Sidney, where he can lock himself away to acquire the skills he needs and produce one painting after another.
It is this new career as a painter which comes to his rescue, turning his life round, psychologically speaking. As he guides us through some of his work, explaining how and why the paintings came about and the people who inspired him, the show turns into a sort of highly entertaining and instructive Fine Arts lecture. He shows us original masterpieces – Picasso is one of his favourites – whose paintings he draws on to create his own work. He enthuses about Leonardo de Vinci, initially putting a slide of his own reworking of Leonardo’s The Last Supper on the screen, and asking the audience if we recognise it. He then proudly places the Leonardo original side by side with his own; his bipolarism perhaps persuades him that he can rival one of the greatest Old Masters, who likewise wins his admiration for his daring flying machines.
There are quiet moments of self-confession as Kissajukian outlines the everyday trouble bipolarism can bring with it – one ambitious scheme relentlessly follows another. The performer relives online meetings with famous entrepreneurs he has contacted via the Internet. His rule: one new painting and one newly invented scheme a day. What’s more Kissajukian gives himself a single day to sell an idea to somebody, otherwise he ruthlessly bins it. It transpires that one multi-billionaire, who is ready to put money in a scheme, contacted him a day too late and was flatly turned down. How much of these stories is true, how much, false, doesn’t really matter. What is important is the journey into the mind that this author-performer invites us to embark on. Here is a man using his creativity not just to keep his compulsive behaviour under control, but also to produce artworks which give pleasure to him and his audiences. Fifty-eight of his paintings are on display in one of the galleries at Summerhall Arts, where after the show one can view the paintings and meet this artist-performer who is available to answer questions.
This post was written by the author in their personal capacity.The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of The Theatre Times, their staff or collaborators.
This post was written by Margaret Rose.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.
