Sarah McDougald Kohn
Artist Statement:
At its core, my work emerges from navigating the intertwined realities of skin color and privilege as a light-skinned, biracial Black woman. Existing between worlds—difficult for others to racially locate and never fully at ease within any single community—has shaped my understanding of identity and perception. My practice explores this liminal space through formal, often minimal abstraction, drawing on utilitarian objects and occasional figurative suggestion. I’m drawn to the hum of in-betweenness, the quiet tension of occupying multiple positions at once.
Material is always my starting point. I work intuitively, generating variations of a single component to test its limits; these parts form an evolving archive I return to over years. Motifs such as chains, hair, braids, beads, knots, and nets recur, carrying personal and historical resonance. Their repetition transforms individual elements into collective forms. Through this language of components, I examine how objects can become universally resonant, evoking potent cultural memory and shared experience.
Artist Biography:
Sarah McDougald Kohn is a New York–born artist working in sculpture and drawing. Her work has been exhibited at venues including 303 Gallery, Davidson Contemporary, Rooster Gallery, The Wassaic Project, Underdonk, and Transmitter. She holds an MFA in Painting from the Tyler School of Art and divides her time between Brooklyn and Columbiaville, New York.
AAA:
Member Since: 2023
