ISSUE NO. 07 · STUDIO VISIT
Sarah
Delaney
Sarah Delaney is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist working across painting, textile collage, and installation. Qualitative, internal time functions as both a central medium and a recurring theme in her practice. She is drawn to the transformative processes that shape environments, particularly the signs of decay and wear left by natural and manufactured conditions. Those traces offer insight into past interactions and a sense of place, marking the passage of time and the instability of where we stand within it. Delaney holds a BFA in Visual Art from the University of Victoria, has completed residencies in Portugal, Spain, and Mexico, and has exhibited internationally, including at CLAVO during Mexico City Art Week.
In a sentence or two, what does your work explore?
"My work and research engage with time, the persistence of memory, and phenomenology. My work aims to investigate fleeting impermanence and shifting perception between the body and the natural world."
Walk us through how a piece comes together.
"The work begins as an idea or curiosity, usually informed by my last project. I task myself to further investigate my themes of interest by using new materials or new approaches on the canvas. I welcome material exploration to guide my practice.
When working with painting, I tell the story of time by implementing various lengths of measure. For example, I use slow puddles of watery pigments that take hours or days to dry, mixed with quick handheld devices like pencils or embroidery that require quicker movements, creating tangible markings of touch and departure of canvas surface."
How has your practice evolved, and where is it heading?
"I am less concerned with what am I trying to make and more focused on what is my art trying to say. Time has grown my practice to expand beyond painting and drawing, growing to a broader exploration of materiality as a means to portray my ideas and themes."
"I am less concerned with what am I trying to make and more focused on what is my art trying to say."
What kind of space does your work belong in, and what do you hope someone feels in front of it?
"Off the screen and in person. Harmony, connection, curiosity, adventure."
What has challenged you, and what have you learned from it?
"I have learned that we, as people, need to be challenged to grow. The same can be said for working with new material or spaces. Pushing myself towards unfamiliar mediums or dimensions creates hurdles that force me to consider creative problem solving, prompting new ways to think and to make."