Interview with Sara Pope!
We are pleased to publish, in collaboration with The Way Magazine, an interview with the renowned English contemporary artist Sara Pope, known worldwide for her ability to convey intense human emotions through her art, starting with the representation of a single small part of the body: the lips!
“Sara Pope’s artworks seem to revolve around a single subject, the lips: they are magnetic, capturing the viewer with their glossy colors and perfection. We were immediately struck by the ‘pop-up’ effect created by Sara's artistic creations. The strong color contrasts and shapes that immediately highlight the beauty of the subject naturally draw in the observer.
But, like any form of art, beauty lies not only in the skill of the artist’s hand but also in conveying emotions, raising questions in the viewer, and provoking discussions with a new perspective. From our point of view, Sara Pope's interpretation of the lips is just one key to turning the work’s gaze onto us: the artist pulls the viewer into a stark contradiction between truth and fiction, illusion and reality, individuality and conformity. Her works express the excesses of our time, the attempt to keep up with a lifestyle that is both alluring and unrealistic, illusory, distorted. They raise questions about personal aspirations, life choices, who we were and who we will become each day.
There are questions about how we got to where we are today, who has influenced us, why we are so prone to perfection, why we chase beauty, fame, money—what is the purpose? Desire at what cost, sacrificing what? Perhaps a self-affirmation within a capitalist view of 'I buy, therefore I am'? Like Sara Pope's works, we are mesmerized by excess, by striking colors, by enveloping and intoxicating shapes, drawn into this infinite cycle without a clear focus, constantly discovering who we are and what we want.
Men and women pursue ideals of beauty, fame, power, in search of the perfect balance, which in turn feeds a personal sense of inadequacy. Sara’s works were chosen because they tell a larger story of transformation in our culture, a shift in our values and aspirations.”