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October 1, 2026 5:59 PM
The Thought Leadership Series Presents: Sam Kissajukian
Please join us for the first speaker in the Fall semester of our 2026-2027 Thought Leadership Series!
Sam Kissajukian
Sam documents what happened when a six-month bipolar manic episode became an unexpected archive of the creative mind under extreme psychological pressure — 300 large-scale paintings, made daily, as a means of processing an experience Kissajukian didn't yet have language for.
Weaving stand-up comedy, spoken word, and live examination of his paintings into a single seamless talk, Sam uses humor not to soften the subject, but to illuminate it. The result is a rare and disarming exploration of the relationship between mental health, creativity and therapy.
Thursday, October 1, 2026
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
UHall 2-150
Please join us for Sam's talk, and a chance for open Q&A and networking while viewing some of Sam's artwork!
Sam Kissajukian is a Sydney-based comedian, visual artist and theater maker who has toured across Australia, the USA, UK for over a decade.
In 2021, a six-month bipolar manic episode halted his stand up comedy career, and Sam produced 300 large-scale paintings documenting his mental states daily. That experience became 300 Paintings: a live solo show fusing stand-up, spoken word, and his visual art, paired with a curated exhibition.
The show ran for 80 nights Off-Broadway at New York's Vineyard Theatre, earning Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations and with further praise from The New Yorker and The New York Times. He has since performed at American Repertory Theater at Harvard where he was awarded a Boston Theater Critics Pick and since guest lectured at Harvard. Sam has performed his show at Princeton, with upcoming performances at Arizona State University, Stanford and Michigan State University. Currently he has a solo exhibition at Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic building in Arizona, The Gammage.
Internationally, Sam has had eight solo exhibitions and nine-time fringe award winner across Australia and the UK. He is also a mental health ambassador for SANE Australia.