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Title
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Sarah Sze
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Description
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Sarah Sze, born in Boston Massachusetts in 1969 is an American contemporary artist focusing on sculpture from everyday materials, often including found objects such as plants, food, wiring, and more (Artnet 2022). She completed her master's in architecture and painting at Yale University, and later her MFA at the School of Visual Arts (Artnet 2022). She received the 2003 MacArthur Fellowship and also represented the United States at the Venice Biennale in 2013 (Sze 2025). Her work is featured in the Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and The Tate Modern (Sze 2025). She also has a collection of public works in the Seattle Opera House, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, and the High Line in New York (Sze 2025). Today, Sze lives in New York and is a professor of art at Columbia University (Artnet 2022).
Sze is interested in creating art that depicts the transitional state of growth and decay, capturing the process of life. Sze has stated while reflecting on her work: “I am aware people might dismiss my art, but I'm interested in getting them to stop and look; for no other reason than that is what I do” (Artnet 2022). She has a diverse portfolio, from painting and collage to projection mapping and full installations. Her art incorporates both sculpture and installation, creating immersive pieces that allow the viewer to feel a part of her work.
Slow Dance, 2024, is an installation using mixed media including paper, string, aluminum, video projection, and sound; the dimensions of this work vary. Sze used over 700 pieces of hand-torn paper and combined both video and photo. The visuals projected all share the common theme of flames/campfires, creating a warm and eye-catching work that connects the viewer to nature and the elements. (“Realer than Real: Sarah Sze at the Nasher Sculpture Center” 2024). Slow Dance ties to Sze’s idea of growth and decay, each image showing a fire either growing in size or dying out. The fragmentation of the paper and images creates a narrative process of change, reflecting Sze’s interest in representing processes of life.
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Alternative Title
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Slow Dance
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Source
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Works Cited:
2022. Artnet.com. 2022. https://www.artnet.com/artists/sarah-sze/biography.
Sze, Sarah. 2025. “Sarah Sze.” Www.sarahsze.com. https://www.sarahsze.com/.
“Realer than Real: Sarah Sze at the Nasher Sculpture Center.” 2024. Arts & Culture Texas. February 10, 2024. https://artsandculturetx.com/realer-than-real-sarah-sze-at-the-nasher-sculpture-center/.
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Name
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Victoria Davison
