Sarah Slappey was born in 1984, Columbia, South Carolina, is a painter based in Brooklyn. Slappey received her MFA from Hunter College in 2016.
Sarah Slappey’s art is based on personal memories of her delicate but constrained teenage years, and extends to reflect on the pursuit and worship of the so-called “standard female beauty” as dictated by consumerism. While “beauty” is universally regarded as an indispensable female trait, “becoming beautiful” is a major source of anxiety and has become a kind of mental shackle that enslaves contemporary women. Through this endless endeavor, women have to invest a great deal of time and energy into reshaping themselves, sometimes even resulting in self-harm.
Sarah Slappey’s work reflects both the beautiful and shameful realities of living: establishing an identity and being beautiful is not a natural phenomenon for a woman, but rather the result of a great expenditure of energy and constant self-control.