Winner

RSA New Contemporaries

School of Fine Art Sculpture & Environmental Art

Sadie Downing (She / Her)

Someone that I admire once told me that my work is a discovery of myself as an artist and that is something that has stuck with me. Over time, as I have become more comfortable in my practice, my work has become more personal. The work I make shifts from wider political and social themes to my own experiences. The personal is political has become a relevant mantra.

My practice mainly involves performance to camera, perhaps out of comfort, alongside the development of more traditional craft based skills. I am often the subject of my own work, meaning feelings of vanity and self doubt arise. I am interested in looking at the intermediary space between both performance and making.

I am currently exploring my previous relationship to dance and how that has influenced my artistic practice. To begin with, I believed that my relationship to dance and my relationship to art, were two very separate things. Now, it has become clear to me that dance has always been apparent in my artistic practice. My practice has become a way to relive my childhood dreams of becoming a dancer.

The idea of the body also fascinates me and how it can be seen as both the tool and the subject of a piece of work. My body is very regularly both the subject and the tool of my work so it is interesting to see how that alters the interpretation of my work.

Contact
sadiedowning@me.com
StateofSadie.com
@stateofsadie
Works
Dreams Do Come True (2023)
A Safety Curtain On A Vintage Medical Screen (2023)

Dreams Do Come True (2023)

A photograph of a white walled degree show space containing three gold misshapen, lumpy stars on pink stands, two padded gold hearts on the walls and two tvs hanging down back to back in the middle of the space.

Full Space View

A photograph demonstrating how to lean against the heart padded wall cushions to view the video from hanging tvs.

A Heart Shaped Matress For Leaning (2023)

Plywood, upholstery foams, gold lycra, upholstery buttons.
A gold misshapen lumpy star on a wooden pink base.

Standing Star Number 1

MDF, gold lycra, stuffing, gold thread, ballet pink paint.
For Sale: Price on Request
A gold misshapen lumpy star on a wooden pink base.

Standing Star Number 2

MDF, gold lame, stuffing, gold thread, ballet pink paint.
For Sale: Price on Request
A gold misshapen lumpy star on a wooden pink base.

Standing Star Number 3

MDF, gold lame, stuffing, gold thread, ballet pink paint.
For Sale: Price on Request
A gold irregular star with rhinestone letters spelling out 'dreams do come true'.

Dreams Do Come True Star (2023)

Gold Lame, rhinestone letters, stuffing, gold thread.
For Sale: Price on request

A Note From A Nana To Her Grandaughter (2023)

A6 postcard, handwritten note scanned.
A photograph showing a TV hanging down into the middle of the room with a gold lumpy star on a pink base next to it. The TV screen has a girl in a hold top in front of a gold background on. The girl has gold star stickers, stuck all over her face.

The Removing Of The Stars (2023)

A photograph showing a tv screen that is hanging down into the middle of the space with a girl happily smiling on.

Dance On Little Girl: a music video for me

A photograph showing a tv screen that is hanging down into the middle of the space with a girl happily smiling on.

Dance On Little Girl: a music video for me (2023)

Exhibition View
A photograph showing a TV hanging down into the middle of the room with a gold lumpy star on a pink base next to it. The TV screen has a girl in a hold top in front of a gold background on. The girl has gold star stickers, stuck all over her face.

The Removing Of The Stars (2023)

Exhibition view.

A Safety Curtain On A Vintage Medical Screen (2023)

A photograph of a white medical curtain on wheels with red velvet bold text saying 'safety curtain', dispalyed in a gallery.

A Safety Curtain On A Vintage Medical Screen (2023)

Satin Drill, red velvet, red trimming, vintage medical screen.
For Sale: Price on Request
A photograph of a white medical curtain on wheels with red velvet bold text saying 'safety curtain', dispalyed in a gallery.

A Safety Curtain On A Vintage Medical Screen (2023)

Satin Drill, red velvet, red trimming, vintage medical screen.
For Sale: Price on Request