User:Sssarahmcewan/Sarah Contos

= Sarah Contos =

Sarah Contos (born 1978) is an Australian contemporary artist born in Perth and lives in Sydney, Australia. She is best known for artworks that incorporate textiles, screen printing, found objects and painting. Contos is represented by Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney and STATION Gallery, Melbourne.

Early Life and Education
In 1998, Contos completed a Diploma of Fine Arts at the Perth Central Metropolitan TAFE of Art, Design and Multimedia. In 2004, she completed a Bachelor of Design for Performance at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Contos worked as a costume and set designer for theatre from 2002-2007. In 2009, Contos moved to Sydney to pursue her career as a contemporary artist and completed a Masters of Art (Painting) at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales.

Career
In 2009, Contos began exhibiting her artworks regularly within group and solo exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra. In 2013, she was a finalist in the John Fries Memorial Award and in 2015, she became represented by the influential gallerist Roslyn Oxley.

In 2017, Contos won the inaugural Ramsay Art Prize worth $100,000. In 2018, she completed a residency at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and presented a significant installation for the Balnaves Contemporary Series at the National Gallery of Australia called Nikola Tesla Sends Theda Bara to Mars.

Themes
Contos explores identity, eroticism, femininity, popular culture, history and the shifting nature of perception. Contos does this in a sophisticated and theatrical way by placing contradictions side by side. “I make quilts for art but never for warmth. I watch cooking shows but never cook. I want to cover my home in florals, but it ends up in wine stained sequins.” This acknowledgement of who she is, and a fascination with the complexities of life, bring sharp social critiques and a wry sense of humour to her artworks.

Studio Practice
Contos has a studio-based practice. Her studio is an unrestrictive and safe environment for her to weave together the complexities of her materials and ideas. It is full of tangible and intangible items like books, fabric, objects, memories, moods and experiences.

In 2019, Australian artist and curator Daniel Mudie Cunningham reflected on visiting Contos in her studio by saying, “Imagine a happy-sad catastrophe of colour and movement; an inviting lair where tactile sculptural forms appear embalmed in recycled teenage tears.”