Sarah NOLAN

Artist Statement

Traditionally, domestic handicrafts have been associated with women and the private sphere and opposed to what was considered ‘high’ art - historically the domain of men.

This aesthetic dichotomy between art and craft which privileges mediums such as painting and sculpture over needlework, embroidery and sewing was called into question by feminist artists in the 1970s. These artists sought to reconceptualise craft as a legitimate artistic activity by reclaiming it as a means to explore notions of the “feminine” and the founding of a uniquely “female aesthetic”.

At first glance, the work of Sarah Nolan appears continuous with this tradition. Her hand sewn fabric works, which combine a range of plain and printed textiles embellished at times with sequins and fringing and on which she stitches words and images, do problematise the art/craft hierarchy, and they also raise questions about the (still masculine) hegemony of the contemporary art world.

But there is a subversive twist to her use of craft-based materials. Rather than the materiality being a primary conceptual concern of her practice, it functions as a camouflage for its provocative subject matter: the sometimes harsh commercial reality of the world of the artist. This is obfuscated with a decorative flourish, a “feminine” touch. Carrie MIller, Arts writer

Art Forms