Sarah Sparkes is an artist and curator. She holds an MA and BA from Chelsea College of Art and Design and Kingston University respectively. Between 2009 – 2013, she was a Research Fellow at the University of London. She runs the visual arts and research project GHost and has written and regularly lectures about this subject. She has exhibited widely, both in the UK and internationally, been the recipient of numerous awards and residencies and is the 2015 winner of the MERU Art*Science Award. Her work is primarily concerned with concepts of immateriality and how this might be visualised. Her work encompasses installation, painting, sculpture, performance and film.
Selected Recent Residencies, Awards, Public Commissions & Solo Exhibitions
Upcoming: Currently in research and development phase of a commission for an exhibition at FACT, Liverpool, curated by Rob La Frenais, 2016. Will be showing paintings and installation at a group show, exploring magic, Eagle Gallery, London, May 2016.
2016
Into the Woods, St Anne's Galleries, Lewes, Sussex.
English Magic, London Art Fair, showing with New Art Projects.
2015
Winner of the MERU Art*Science Award, Bergamo, Italy.
The Electric Girl, Solo show at Senate House Library, University of London.
English Magic, Solo show at New Art Projects, London.
The Gap Between the Nothing, commission for the AHRC funded Translation Games Project, Queen Mary University of London, London.
2014
Blue Seven, commission for AIRM2014, Newchurch, Romney Marsh, Kent.
The Time You Need, commission for Overtime Project, Stephen Lawrence Gallery & National Maritime Museum, London, Greenwich.
SALVATION. SALVATION. SALVATION, commission for Camberwell Arts at the Salvation Army Heritage Centre, Camberwell, London.
The Host Ghost Presents, solo exhibition, ASC Gallery, ASC Studios, Erlang House, London.
2010/12
The Magical Library, residency and research fellowship at the Harry Price Library of Magical Literature, Senate House, University of London.
2011
GHost at Folkestone Triennial, curatorial residency at Folkestone Triennial Fringe, B&B Project Space, Folkestone, Kent.
2010
The Infinity Box, solo exhibition, The Belfry Space, St John Bethnal Green, London.
2009
Deserters, residency at Nunhead Community Centre, The Surgery Gallery, London.
For What We Are About to receive, commission for Shortness Symposium, Tate Modern, London.
Never Afraid, solo exhibition at Crimestown Gallery, London.
Recent Group Exhibitions – Selected
2015 Pool, Cafe Gallery Projects, Southwark Park, London.
Fluorescent – Soho Open House Arts Festival, Soho, London
Fall of the Rebel Angels, Castello 1610/A, VENEZIA 30122, Venice.
Other Rooms, Basement Art Projects, Leeds.
2014 SeAFAR, Deptford X London & Folkestone Triennial Fringe, Old Truckers Lounge, Folkestone, Kent.
NEVER AFRAID, Supernormal, Braziers Park, Oxfordshire.
Over Time, Stephen Lawrence Gallery, Greenwich University.
Haunted Landscapes, Falmouth University, Cornwall.
Mind the Gap, Autonomie, Los Angeles, USA.
Chinese Open Year of the Horse, Q Park China Town, London.
2013 Crash Open Salon, Charlie Dutton Gallery, London.
Lumen, St Clements Old Psychiatric Hospital, London.
Psychic Synopsis, at Reading as Art, Senate House Library, London.
The Infinity Show, NN Contemporary, Northampton.
Theatrical Dynamics, Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles, USA.
Uncanny Landscapes, The Centre for Creative Collaboration, London.
2012 On Spiritualism, Apiary, London.
Microcosm, Departure Foundation, Ellington Building, Leeds.
400 Women 'The Sugar Factory, Amsterdam, Holland.
2011 Carnival of Death, Senate House University of London.
400 Women, Cannongate Venture, Edinburgh Festival, Scotland.
Transendenz Inc, Autocentre, Berlin, Germany.
2010 COTH, Super Market Stockholm – showing with The Evidence, Sweden.
400 Women Shoreditch Town Hall, London.
Recessional Aesthetics, James Taylor Gallery, London.
Rhizomatic, The Departure Foundation, London.
Transendenz, Ausstellung Hospitalhof, Stuttgart, Germany.
Sold Out, Elastic Residence, Parfitt Street, London.
Post, TROVE, Birmingham.
2009 Fate and Free Will, Riverside Contemporary Art Space, California, USA.
Summers Lease, Emma Hill Eagle Gallery, London.
May Day May Day, The Dark Times Are Coming, Fish Gallery, Hastings, Sussex.
GHost
[Since 2008}
leads the visual arts and creative research project GHost , which explores how ghosts are manifested in contemporary visual art and culture. GHost has two central stands: firstly a program of inter-disciplinary research symposiums – the GHost Hostings and secondly a series of visual arts exhibitions and performances informed by the Hostings. GHost was initiated with Visual Arts Lecturer Ricarda Vidal.
GHost has convened 14 Hostings to date, Nine at Senate House University of London between 2009 - 2011, four at Central St Martins School of Art between 2012 - 14 and One at Domo Baal Gallery in 2013.
GHost has undertaken a three month curatorial residency at FolkestoneTriennial Fringe as part of Vernacular Folk at B&B Project Space 2011; curated four exhibitions at St. John Bethnal Green in 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2012; curated a video booth at the London Art Fair 2011; curated two GHost rooms at Exploding Cinemas EXPANDED event for Goldsmiths College 2012.
GHost has been funded by two Knowledge Transfer Grants from the University of London and by The B&B Project Space, Folkestone, Kent. GHost has been supported by the Centre for Performance Art, CSM.
www.ghosthostings.co.uk
www.host-a-ghost.blogspot.com
Writing
Guests Hosts and Ghosts and How to Make Them, chapter in Giving up The Ghost: The Haunting of Modern Culture, edited by Karen Leeder and Kirsten Gwyer, Palgrave Macmillon due 2016.
Entries on Ghosts and GHost in Ghosts Spirits and Psychics: The Paranormal from Alchemy to Zombies, edited by Matt Cardin, (ABC Clio: 2015).
Guests, hosts and GHost, chapter in The Ashgate Research Companion to Paranormal Cultures edited by Sally R. Munt and Olu Jenzen, (Ashgate: 2013).
GHost CLHub chapter in Vernacular Folk, (Club Shepway: 2012).
Lecturing
Currently Associate Lecturer at University of the Arts, London. And Putney Art school. Works as artist-educator for Tate Galleries education and public programs.
Has been visiting/ guest lecturer for the following institutions and organisations: Greenwich University, Falmouth University, Trade Gallery, Nottingham; NN Contemporary, Gallery, Northampton University, Wimbledon School of Art, University of the Creative Arts Canterbury, , New College Oxford, Bishopsgate Institute, Treadwells Bookshop, London Fortean Society, The Ghost Club, University of London.
