Katie Sarra
Katie was born in Kano, Nigeria in 1965. She spent some of her childhood in Kenya until coming to England age 8.
"I have spent my creative life exploring sexual identity probably influenced from discovering cultural difference from a young age."
After graduating in 1988 from Leeds Polytechnic, where she won the painting prize for her year, she moved to London and exhibited with The Art Company. Katie entered into Psychiatric Nurse training as a pre-requisite to Art Therapy training. She worked for Hackney NHS and Social services with Adults and younger people while training as an Art Therapist at Hertfordshire Polytechnic and continued her practice there for eight years after qualifying.
She is committed to paying attention to the exploration, research and practice in body work and performance so that her sitters can enter into this relationship easily with safety. She continues her professional development as an artist and Playback Theatre performer by continuing her training in Playback Theatre and Tantra that has made her open and available without prejudice to witness and honor people who brave being painted for themselves. She feels that it is her unique combination of being an artist, art therapist with theatre and tantra training that enables her to be in touch with all the issues around being seen, witnessed and painted. People have said to her that they “would do this with no one else!”
"I felt self conscious at first, the initial realisation of it is all there to been seen and you cant hide from that. I would have never have done this with with any other artist, here I felt safe, accepted. I don’t normally take my clothes off in daylight but in Katie studio the atmosphere there is no judgment on how you look and feel. Nobody else could have the personal touches like choosing your own music. There were good vibes. We were with a calming artist who was looking at the best that could be found....and I found it in Katie's studio. Now I feel perfectly capable of stripping off in the street!"
Katie started the 'Shakti Tantra' training for women in 2002 and 'Playback Theatre' training in 2005 and these two influences have informed her current practice.
"My learning and experiences here are the driving force behind my growing collections of paintings, the ritual of uncovering and being witnessed with empathy as a woman is inherently therapeutic and I am interested in this arena of body image and female identity."
The current main body of her work explores and honour's difference and individual uniqueness.
My Paintings are a body/psyche explorations in relation to identity, relationships and sexuality. These are oil paintings that witness, celebrate, reveal, play and most of all honor the women and men that sit for me. My current work is an exploration of beauty, symbolism, sexuality, identity, stories, culture, society and history in relation to the body and how we feel about our selves. The paintings emerge from the relationships and conversations that develop with my sitters.
Solo Exhibitions/Performances
February 2008 “The Kiss” live painting at Amora, The London Academy of Sex and Relationships.
November 2007 Public Performance Painting and Exhibition of Body Oils at Erotica,Earls Court. London. performing in lingerie painting body portrait of visitors to the show. This was an extension of my interest in performance art and the dialogue between public and private body identity in relation to the nude in art. It was an exploration into the feelings of how we witness ourselves and are witnessed by others in relation to beauty. I brought to Erotica the heart aspect of sexuality with exhibitionism.
October 2007 Joint Exhibition with Jenni Dutton’s conceptual clothing and my Intimate Oils at the Old Car Wash Gallery, Tiverton with a Sumptuous Women's evening featuring Tarte Noire Performance on the Car Ramp Stage.
September 2007 Devon Art Works Open Studio Exhibition. Catalogue number 69.
2007. May. Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre. Exhibition and Performance. "Mothers and Men Uncovered" see You-tube under 'Surreal saloon, May 4th '.
2007. June. Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre. Exhibition and performance. "Tales from under the Elastic" see You-tube under 'Surreal saloon June 1st'.
2003/07: Solo Exhibition at Bickleigh Castle, Devon.
2006: Solo Exhibition at Bridwell Park, Devon.2002: Open Studios South West.
1988 Leeds Polytechnic. “The Heart Breaks” Performance.
Group Exhibitions
November 2007. Artamanti Exhibition group show.
2007: South West Academy Annual Exhibition, Exeter.
The Eyestorm Gallery, Exeter.
The Cattura Gallery, Exeter.
The Lantic Gallery, Tiverton.
2003 Tiverton Festival group show at the Old Tiverton Library.
1988: The Griffin Art Company, London.
1984: The Loseby Lane Gallery, Leicester.
Copyright Katie Sarra© 2008
