SARAH JANE MOON: @SARAH_JANE_MOON

SARAH, How would you describe your artistic practice in three words?

Bold
Dynamic
Expressive

What issues do you believe need to change or be challenged in the art world?

The gender pay gap is one of the most imbalanced of any industry; it needs to be continually
challenged and changed. Lack of representation in terms of class, race, sexuality and people with
disabilities is also a huge issue for our industry. This is slowly beginning to be recognised but we
have a long way to go.

On another level, nepotism is also a problem. The arts thrives on a whole swathe of people who
can afford to take unpaid internships or work on their practice without an income for a decade. I
believe that ultimately this weakens the art world at every level as diverse voices are not heard
and work produced and shown is in danger of consequently reflecting a narrow sector of society.

What is your studio like SARAH?

My studio is relatively ordered and mostly full of canvases and shelves of books. I have a large
antique H easel, a desk for admin and a comfy armchair for visitors or to sit and read / look at
work. It’s in an old 1930’s office block with hundreds of other artists and I’ve been working there
for over a decade. I love to listen to music, podcasts and audiobooks while I paint but my default
is the radio (BBC4 usually). Good coffee is a must.

Could you tell us a bit about the artworks you have in ‘Heart of the Matter’?

One of the paintings included in this exhibition is a portrait of Juno Roche, who is a friend and
internationally recognised trans writer and HIV+ campaigner. Juno is well known for her books
'Queer Sex', 'Trans Power' & 'Gender Explorers'. I have always admired her presence, truth,
confidence and warmth and this is what I have tried to emphasise in painting her. The bold and
gestural background is an attempt to convey something of the admiration I have for Juno’s
positivity, strength and energy.

'Hindsight' is part of a new body of work exploring the interior life of women; their thoughts,
feelings and agency. The work and title allude to a narrative that is left open for the viewer to
interpret, but places the individual woman in the painting at the center of her story, as the
protagonist. The viewer is invited to contemplate who she is and what she's thinking. Sensation,
time and memory are suggested both by the pose of the figure and the exuberant, semi
abstracted nature of the bright interior space she inhabits.

Who are your art world role models or muse?

Alice Neel
Chantal Joffe
Paula Rego
Rita Angus
Maggi Hambling
Maria Lassnig
Sylvia Sleigh

Susanne du Toit @susannedutoit2353
Cecily Brown @aujourdhuirose
Jenna Gribbon @jennagribbon
Jennifer Pochinski @jenniferpochinski
Joy Labinjo @joylabinjo
Vanessa Garwood @vanessagarwood
Lynette Yiadom Boakye @lynetteyiadomboakye
Nicole Eisenmann @nicoleeisenman
Andrew Salgado @andrew.salgado.art
Michael Armitage @michael_armitage_studio
Doron Langberg @doronlangberg
Salman Toor @salman.toor
Amoako Boafo @amoakoboafo