In her abstract paintings and experimental films, Sarah Morris explores urban structures, architectural forms, and power dynamics, drawing inspiration from Pop Art, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, and architecture. Beginning her career with graphic paintings that adapted the dramatic, emotional language used in newspaper headlines and advertisement slogans, Morris prefers vibrant and bright colour palettes in her paintings, guiding the viewer’s gaze through geometric patterns informed by mathematical calculations. At the core of her practice is the concept of ‘ambivalence’, which refers to the simultaneous experience of intense, opposing emotions. She aesthetically reveals the complexities of individuals’ commitment to the systemic structures. Influenced by GPS technologies, topological mapping, and industrial graphics, she translates the visual codes of cities – such as manufacturing, transport networks, pedestrians, and financial currencies – into abstract compositions, inviting the viewer into a world where psychogeography and the dynamic nature of urban environments intersect. Morris’s films examine the aesthetic and ideological structure of contemporary urban life. Employing a range of cinematographic techniques, from documentary-style recordings to fictional narratives, she explores the themes of institutional power, politics, and the individual’s role within the city.
