Sands Murray-Wassink (1974, Topeka, Kansas) is a painter, writer, body artist and perfume collector based in Amsterdam. A long-overlooked cult figure in the city's art scene, his work spans decades, touching on themes of gender, desire, intimacy, mental health and self-exploration. Sands has long existed in a space between institutional visibility and secluded phases of production, continuously developing his own framework for making and sharing work. Since 2016, he has mainly focused on what he calls Horse Drawings. These drawings, while sometimes devoid of actual horse imagery, all bear the same title and embody the spirit of equine grace, symbolising a personal journey towards healing. Sands' engagement with this motif ties together the broader themes in his practice: gender fluidity, mental health, feminism and the transformative potential of art. His work is indebted to intersectional feminist and queer art, with Carolee Schneemann, Hannah Wilke and Adrian Piper serving as key coordinates.
Recent solo exhibitions and presentations include: diez, Amsterdam; Echo, Cologne; Auto Italia, London; Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers; mistral, Amsterdam; and Amstel 41, Amsterdam, alongside solo presentations with diez at Frieze London, ARCO Madrid, and Paris Internationale. Earlier solo and two-person shows include Cokkie Snoei, Rotterdam; Lothringer 13 Halle, Munich; and Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam. His work has been included in group exhibitions at the Hartwig Art Foundation, Amsterdam; Witte de With, Rotterdam; Haus der Kunst, Munich; W139, Amsterdam; Galleri F 15, Moss; the Vienna Secession; and Sean Kelly Gallery, New York.
Murray-Wassink was a guest resident at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam, between 2019 and 2021 and at De Ateliers between 1994 and 1996. He received the Jeanne Oosting Prize for his watercolour oeuvre in 2023. His work is held in the collections of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, and CA2M, Madrid. His work is on view in Manosphere: Masculinity Today at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, travelling to Kunsthalle St. Gallen.