Sarah graduated from Loughborough with a degree in Fine Art in 2015. Since graduating, she has received recognition from numerous galleries and organisations. She was the recipient of the Ali. H Alkazzi Scholarship Award 2019 – 2022. Sarah has also had the opportunity to take part in a research residency where she lived with the Kuna community in the indigenous province of Guna Yala, Panama with La Wayaka Current. She has also exhibited at various international galleries.
The artist’s exhibition at the Lisson Gallery, The Crystal Forest, explores psychological spaces and multifaceted landscapes composed by Sarah on layered canvases. The exhibition features a new body of work including a collection of diverse scaled paintings which focus on the alumna’s vivid kaleidoscope-like imaging. The kaleidoscopic environments and forest clearings are constructed over time by layers of light, line and colour.
Sarah’s exhibition title was inspired by a 1966 science fiction novel by JG Ballard, The Crystal World. For much of her showcase, Sarah drew inspiration from literary, historical and personal references. Her Crystal Forest depicts those from around her hometown in Nottingham but also ones she became familiar with during her research residency in Panama.
Sarah Cunningham Soul Capsule, 2023 Oil on Linen
Speaking about her time at Loughborough Sarah said:
“I look back very fondly on my time at Loughborough and although I wasn't working in oil at the time it was the start of a lot ideas for me.”
The Lisson Gallery is an influential contemporary art gallery across London, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Beijing and was first opened in 1967. It has displayed the work of many international artists since it was first established.
Find out more about the exhibition on the Lisson Gallery’s website.
Congratulations Sarah.