Sarah Nolan
Textile Artist / Mixed Media Artist (Sydney NSW)

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 is a freelance arts writer and social commentator. She is a regular contributor to Australian Art Collector magazine and The Art Life website and has a weekly column in The Spectator.

Artists Statement
Sarah has been practicing professionally as an artist since her first commercial show in Sydney in 2007. She describes her works as constructed fabric pieces, not patchwork, embroidery or quilting! All the works have been hand sewn and range in postcard size through to curtain sized banners. The richness and detail of these compositions are enhanced by metres of hand stitched silk, cotton and polyester threads. Some of the stitching is discreet and functional in holding the layers together, others playful and illustrative. The frayed fabric edges also contribute to the overall appearance of the works, softening the edges and enhancing the fragility of the pieces.

For information on how to purchase or commission Sarah's work please contact her below.

Contact Sarah Nolan
Visit Sarah Nolan's website


Solo exhibitions
2011 Artlist-Text, Gaffa, Sydney
2010 Rewarded, Harrison Galleries, Sydney
2008 Damien and me, Harrison Galleries, Sydney
2007 Homage, Harrison Galleries, Sydney
2000 Pick-up, West Space Inc., Melbourne
1992 Stuck Down, Gallery Café, Sydney
1991 Some Collages 1989-1991, Arthaus Gallery, South Dowling Street, Sydney

Group exhibitions
2010 Hands On, Craft in Contemporary Art, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Arts Centre
Marrickville Contemporary Art Prize, Chrissie Cotter Gallery, Sydney
Marrickville Women’s Salon, ESP Gallery, Sydney
Emergency Display, Survey of emerging art from Sydney’s Inner West, ATVP Gallery, Sydney
2009 Waiting, NG Art Gallery, Sydney
Art in Mind, The Brick Lane Gallery, London UK
Autumn Equinox Salon, Palm House Gallery, Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney
Amnesty People’s Choice Art Prize, Tap Gallery, Sydney
2007 Art Melbourne, New Generation exhibitor Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Waverley Art Prize, Waverley Woollahra Arts Centre, Sydney
Marrickville Art Prize, ATVP Gallery, Sydney
2006 Absurdities, Horus and Deloris Contemporary Art Space, Sydney
2005 Junk Love, Reverse Garbage, Sydney
2003 Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Arts Centre
Liverpool City Art Prize, Casula Powerhouse, Liverpool
Walking the Street, Art in Shop fronts, King Street, Newtown
2001 Art Show, North Newtown Public School, Newtown
1999 Post Postcard Show, Linden Art Centre and Gallery Melbourne
Bound, La Coq Café, Melbourne
1992 Walking the Street, Art in Shop fronts, King Street, Newtown

Awards
1999 Eckersley’s Arts, Crafts and Imagination Prize (Linden Art Centre)

Collections
Private collections Australia and United Kingdom
All Buttons Great and Small 419A King Street, Newtown, NSW

Publications
Brown, Cash (Curator) HANDS ON Craft in Contemporary Art, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Catalogue 2010
Nuance Multimedia Australia, Art Melbourne 07 Catalogue, 2007

Media
The Art Life, New Work Friday #40, February 05, 2010 http://theartlife.com.au/?p=1153
Walton, Inga, “The art world stitched up”, in Textile Fibre Forum, Issue 2, No. 94, May, 2009, p.12-14.
Fortescue, Elizabeth, “Lessons from master artist”, in The Daily Telegraph, 11 August, 2008.
Hutchinson, Jane, “Arts About” in The Daily Telegraph [Sunday Magazine], October, 2007, p.32-34.
Skelly, Susan, “New Wave” [‘Recharge’], in The Bulletin, 24 April, 2007, p. 64.
Iaccarino, Clara, “Open Gallery” in The Sydney Morning Herald , 24-25 February, 2007, p.16.