What We Tell Ourselves

Original Painting by Sarah Albisser

Dimensions: 650 x 900mm

Exhibition Statement - "Derived from Nature"

Nature is more than a backdrop in my work, it is a quiet presence that shapes emotion, memory and identity. My female figures carry the colours, textures, light and atmosphere of the landscape within them.

The natural world becomes an extension of our inner lives, reflecting contemplation, resilience and transformation.

We are part of nature, not separate from it. The landscape is not only around us, it lives within us.

About the Artist

Sarah Albisser is a Swiss-born contemporary artist based in Wellington, New Zealand. Before turning to visual art, she worked internationally as a professional dancer and choreographer and trained at the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York.

Her background in dance continues to influence her work through movement, gesture and the expressive presence of the human figure. Working across painting, drawing and mixed media, including ink and thread, Sarah has developed a distinctive visual language centred on the female form. Her figures are often captured in fleeting gestures, diving, walking or quietly contemplating and explore themes of emotion, identity, resilience, transformation and transition.

Set against geometric forms or carrying elements of landscape within them, her figures create a tension between presence and absence, reflecting the connection between our inner lives and the world around us. Sarah often leaves areas intentionally unfinished or empty, inviting viewers to bring their own experiences and interpretations to the work.

Sarah has exhibited internationally in Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia and the United States, and her work is held in private collections worldwide.