A unique balance can be found in the work of Sydney-based artist Sarah Contos, offering an emphatic discourse within an intimate, personal and emotional framework. Working with a range of materials – from ceramics, plaster and screenprinted textiles to collected fabrics and discarded objects – the artist establishes relationships in culture, time and gender to create new theatrical narratives. Contos discusses her practice and latest body of work in the lead up to her solo exhibition at Sydney’s Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery; its concept laying dormant, hidden in the pages of her notebooks, until now.
You use disparate materials, textures and imagery. What draws you to engage with such a variety of components and why?
I’m interested in how forms and materials embody their own unique language. With the introduction of another form or material the opportunity arises for a multitude of readings. It is much the same with objects – a glove for instance can be associated with both warmth and grace, or alternatively, as an accessory of concealment, hiding a fingerprint for example, in an untoward act. This dual nature of things becomes an effective driver, allowing the viewer an immediate familiarity with the work within a framework of possible resistance of common assumptions surrounding the object itself. I love working between the interplay of that friction of both seduction and repulsion.
Sarah Contos, works in progress. Courtesy the artist and Roslyn Oxley9, Sydney
The fabric of your work is threaded with the notion of identity and self. Is this an expression of an alter ego or is there a philosophical or political objective?
Each body of work is underpinned by a character; whether it’s an alter ego realised as a manifestation of what lacks in my own life, or a character from film/literature/history that shares similar attributes. Either way it is an anchor device used to situate a personal viewpoint or sentiment under a guise to speak for myself. This allows a shared experience to occur. It’s a playful ontological inquiry between fact and fiction and animate and non-animate.
Sarah Contos, works in progress. Courtesy the artist and Roslyn Oxley9, Sydney
Can you describe your art-making process, from the initial idea to the final creation?
I start by looking at absolutely everything – scanning science magazines, viewing films, gazing out the window watching the gesture of a stranger on the street. These seemingly unrelated influences will resonate with my emotional state and from there I work out what materials, forms and images best replicate that feeling or sensation. Sometimes I see myself adopting the role of a director; working out the relationships, the “conversations” between objects. I use theatrical methods – motivation, costume, light and movement – to create a cohesive whole or a ‘show’ for the viewer. I like to work right up to the very last second of a deadline. This lends the work a sense of urgency and energy.
Sarah Contos, works in progress. Courtesy the artist and Roslyn Oxley9, Sydney
What was the driving force behind this exhibition?
In 2016 I consolidated my remaining screen-printed artist proofs into one giant quilt to complete a four-year creative period. It was a beautiful, if somewhat back-breaking experience, but ultimately very liberating. Elements of this upcoming exhibition were conceived a few years ago but have sat patiently in one of my notebooks until now. This particular presentation only skims the surface of what’s ahead in terms of new characters, techniques and motifs.
Sarah Contos, works in progress. Courtesy the artist and Roslyn Oxley9, Sydney
What new mythologies, characters and alternative histories will be presented to the audience?
Currently I am working with influences from 1980’s magic shows, Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950), the actions of an erotomaniac and the principles of the multiverse. I love how all these share a commonality – the idea of transmogrification but with completely individual intentions. There are elements of forced illusions, restraint and yearning through the forms and materials chosen. I’m currently deep in the process of making so how it will all unfold is still a delightful mystery.
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery
18 May to 17 June, 2017
Sydney
