ONLY IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY

A SOLO EXHIBITION OF NEW PAINTINGS BY SARAH PRATT

Sarah Pratt’s latest body of work explores themes of camouflage in the animal kingdom. The pieces on exhibition were initially inspired by the bold and dominant colours of the seasons. However, as the artist delved deeper into the mysterious world of mimicry, concealment, disruptive colouration, and disguise, she became excited about exploring the patterns, hues, spots, and stripes found in nature. The act of camouflage within the natural world evokes the constant flow between preservation and danger. In nature, deceit can mean both survival for prey and hunting method for predator; the duality of the stripes found on both the zebra and tiger, to hide their form within the long grass, highlights the ingenuity of nature and evolution. Using colour-blocking as a starting point, and by grouping together animals of a similar hue, Pratt intentionally places the focus on what may be hidden. The artist often stacks natural foes together to create dynamic and unusual conversations where appearances are deceiving. The concept of visibility versus invisibility is one which the artist continues to muse on from previous bodies of work; Pratt also seeks to explore themes of extinction, the relative invisibility of the plight of the natural world, and our disconnection from our environment.