artist /sara santamaria

Apr 1

July 1, 2017

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Sara Santamaria is a Multidisciplinary Visual Artist from Madrid, Spain. She earned an Associate Degree in International Relations from (IES) Africa in Madrid, and a minor in Art and Design from Escuela de Arte N2 also in Madrid. Seeking to amplify her perspectives as well as her network, she decided to travel abroad to experience the world as a form of education. Between 2009-2013, she participated in multiple work & travel experiences, art residencies, internships and assistantships across England, France, and Canada.

She came to Atlanta in 2014 where she earned a BFA in Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture and ceramics at Georgia State University. She is a 2015-16 Hugely Artist Fellowship recipient and a 2017-2019 resident artist for The Creatives Program. In 2015 she co-founded Brutal Studio, an all-lady run design and build studio in Atlanta. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at MOCA GA, MINT Gallery, Atlanta international Airport, Atlanta City Council, Woodruff Park, Showerhause Gallery, Swan Coach House Gallery and in publications such as AJC, NPR, and ArtsAtl.

As an immigrant who has dived into different cultures, my practice is informed by ideas of global migration and contemporary identity formation. I create installations that use wire mesh sculptures, line delimitation, and the concept of spatial division to underline the production, the impact and the potential crossing of social, economic and political boundaries. Making use of a reduced visual language, I play with geometry, perspective, and illusionary boundaries to create ambivalence and doubt in the spatial composition to challenge our sense of belonging in the space. The semi-transparent quality of the wire mesh sculptures carry a confused presence revealing issues of alienation as a psychological condition of the global subject. Elements of constant movement, a strong sense of duplicity, and sharp spatial boundaries aim to a visual a metaphor of the invisible boundaries of cross-cultural identities.

WEBSITE: www.sarasantamaria.com