Sarah Contos

In 1998 Contos completed a Diploma of Fine Arts in Art, Design and Multimedia at the Central Metropolitan College of TAFE in Perth, Western Australia.

In 2004, she completed a Bachelor of Design for Performance at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and worked as a theatre costume and set designer.{{Cite web|title=Sarah Contos - Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery|url=https://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artist/sarah-contos|access-date=2020-09-03| website=Roslyn Oxley}}

She completed a Masters of Art (Painting) at the College of Fine Arts (now UNSW Art & Design), University of New South Wales.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2017-05-29|title=Textile time-capsule wins inaugural $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize|url=https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/art-architecture-design/textile-time-capsule-wins-inaugural-100000-ramsay-art-prize|url-status=|archive-url=|archive-date=| access-date=2020-09-03|website=UNSW Newsroom}}

Contos' artworks incorporate textiles, screen printing, found objects, and painting in a practice best described as collage, sculpture and installation-focused.{{cn|date=November 2022}}

In 2009, Contos moved to Sydney to pursue her career as an artist.{{Cite web| last=Miller| first=Carrie| date=2019-12-18| title=Sarah Contos: The Spellbinder|url=https://artcollector.net.au/sarah-contos-the-spellbinder/|url-status=|archive-url=|archive-date=| access-date=2020-09-03| website=Art Collector Magazine|language=en-AU}}

In 2015, she gained representation with gallerist Roslyn Oxley.

In 2018 Contos completed a residency at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and presented an installation for the Balnaves Contemporary Series at the National Gallery of Australia called Nikola Tesla Sends Theda Bara to Mars.{{Cite web|title=Sarah Contos: Balnaves Contemporary Art Intervention|url=https://nga.gov.au/balnaves/contos.cfm|access-date=2020-09-03| website=National Gallery of Australia}}

In 2019, Contos was one of four artists who created site-specific installations for the Sofitel Darling Harbour for Sydney Contemporary.{{Cite web|title=Sofitel|url=https://sydneycontemporary.com.au/sofitel-activation/|access-date=2020-09-03|website=Sydney Contemporary}}

Contos explores identity, eroticism, femininity, materiality, popular culture and history. She describes her life in relation to contradictions, saying: “I make quilts for art but never for warmth. I watch cooking shows but never cook. I want to cover my home in florals, but it ends up in wine stained sequins”.

Contos' practice is studio-based. Australian artist and curator Daniel Mudie Cunningham reflected on a studio visit with the artist by saying, "Imagine a happy-sad catastrophe of colour and movement; an inviting lair where tactile sculptural forms appear embalmed in recycled teenage tears".{{cn|date=November 2022}}

In 2011, she was among six recipients of the Marten Bequest scholarship.{{Cite web|title=Recipients of our co-investment opportunities |website= Australia Council |url=https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/funding/funding-index/recipients-of-our-co-investment-opportunities/|access-date=2020-09-03}}

In 2013, she was a finalist in the John Fries Award{{Cite web|title=2013 Finalist Sarah Contos|url=http://www.johnfriesaward.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sarah-Contos.jpg|access-date=2020-09-03|website=John Fries Award|language=en-AU}} and one of three inaugural recipients of the 4A Beijing Study Program, alongside Tully Arnot and Jensen Tjhung.{{Cite web|date=2014-01-02|title=HAZE: Tully Arnot, Sarah Contos and Jensen Tjhung|url=http://www.4a.com.au/haze/|access-date=2020-09-03|website=4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art}}

In 2014, her work Personification of Past and Future Mythologies (Double-Headed Barry) was included in the Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize.{{Cite web|date=2014-04-10|title=Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize|url=https://thebrag.com/redlands-konica-minolta-art-prize/|access-date=2020-09-03|website=The Brag|language=en-AU}}

In 2017, Contos won the inaugural $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize at the Art Gallery of South Australia with her work Long Kiss Goodbye.{{Cite web|title=Ramsay Art Prize 2017|url=http://www.agsa.sa.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/ramsay-art-prize-2017/|url-status=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-09-03|website=AGSA - The Art Gallery of South Australia|language=en}}

• Campbelltown City Council{{which|date=November 2022}} collection
• National Gallery of Australia{{Cite web|last=Contos|first=Sarah|title=Rehearsals for a wakeful dreaming.|url=https://cs.nga.gov.au/detail.cfm?irn=269781|access-date=2020-09-03|website=Item held by National Gallery of Australia}}
• Art Gallery of South Australia{{Cite web|last=|first=|last2=|first2=|last3=|first3=|date=|title=Sarah Contos|url=http://www.agsa.sa.gov.au/collection-publications/collection/creators/sarah-contos/5361/|url-status=|archive-url=|archive-date=| access-date=2020-09-03 |website=AGSA|language=en}}
• Heide Museum of Modern Art{{Cite web|title=Sarah Contos|url=https://collection.heide.com.au/persons/2050|access-date=2020-09-03|website=Heide Museum of Modern Art|language=en}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{official|https://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artist/sarah-contos Sarah Contos}} at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery
• {{official|https://stationgallery.com.au/artists/sarah-contos Sarah Contos}} at Station Gallery

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Category:21st-century Australian artists

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Australian women artists

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)