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“I would like there to exist places that are stable, unmoving, intangible, untouched and almost untouchable, unchanging, deep rooted; places that might be points of reference, of departure, of origin…”
(Georges Perec – from Species of Spaces)
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Time and the places that exist within and beyond memory are at the core of these paintings.
They reference the notion that the places we have lived and experienced in the past exist within us and can impact how we perceive the elusive nature and progress of time.
From the archives of memory certain cherished objects, quotidian motifs and borrowed and appropriated images are reimagined to create charged psychological spaces that suggest unexpected narratives and reflect a disorientating search for meaning.
The hauntological reflections, mix the past, the future and the present to search for truths previously concealed.
In the creation of these works there is an attempt, through the materiality of the paint - repetitive mark making, its disintegration, rupture, and failure - to explore the fallibility and mutability of memory.
At times deeply personal, the work also seeks to find a universal language and meaning through metaphor and humour. The imagery of voids and empty spaces, suggests transitional moments and inevitably leads to thoughts of one’s own departure.
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Biography
Sarah Hills is a London based painter. Her current art practice focuses on the concepts of time, place, and memory and mainly takes the form of oil paintings on canvas. While her work is predominantly autobiographical, the themes within it can be regarded as universal.
The founder and Creative Director of Porta Romana, a global interior design company, Sarah has designed collections of lighting and furniture for UK and international clients including a lighting installation to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Arts, London
Having always painted, she began working on her art full-time in 2019 when she undertook the Heatherley's Portrait Diploma course. In 2023 she completed her MA Fine Art course at City & Guilds of London Art School, with a Distinction.
In 2024 she will go on an artists residencies in Newfoundland and Spain.
Beyond painting, she loves long-distance walking, talking, travelling and has three children.
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CV
1984 BA FA WSCAD
1987-2019. Creative Director and Founder Porta Romana
2019. Heatherleys Portrait Diploma
2020. Heatherleys First Year Portrait Prize
2020 Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Mall Galleries
2021 John Walton Portrait Prize
2021. Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Mall Galleries
2021 City and Guilds MA
2022 Meet Me Halfway. The Art Pavilion, Mile End
2022 Fissured Realms. D-Contemporary, Grafton St
2023. Adjacent Colours D-Contemporary, Grafton St
2023. MA final show C&G
2023. Small Worlds, The Graduate Gallery
2024. Art on a Postcard
2024. Residency, Pouch Cove Newfoundland
2024 '108' Art Hub Studios
2024. Pollen Circle Kindred studios
2024. Residency. Joya Spain
2025. Found|land Morley Gallery
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