Sara Genn is a Canadian-born artist known for her use of color and form in her geometric abstract compositions. She graduated with a BFA from Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario, and exhibits her work internationally. Genn utilizes soaking and staining techniques in an effort to shift our perceptions of the traditions of painting. Her work also strives to offer simultaneously, a place of visual shelter and excitement and to occupy space with objects that blur the signifiers of gender, craft and monuments. As much as these works seek to embody colorfield foundations and to straddle the ineffable sensations of weightiness and weightlessness, they're also concerned with tactile materiality and surface illusions. The super-flatness of saturated void spaces and their edges are meticulously created freehand without digital or mechanical aids: no projection, resist or tape is used. "People think that design is merely about how things look but really, it’s about how things function. We may understand this importance in the context of machines and technology, but the same qualities should be required of all things, especially art. Paintings are made to engage, incite and connect, but they also have the chance to quietly work within the perfection of their own archaic technology." - Sara Genn
b. 1972, Toronto, Canada
EDUCATION
1994
BFA Queen's University, Kingston, ON
1990
York House School, Vancouver, BC
SELECTED SOLO & JOINT EXHIBITIONS
2023
Infinite Promise, Winston Wachter, Seattle, WA
Intersect Palm Springs, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY
2022
How to Build a Sky, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY
2021
Gallery Jones, Vancouver, BC
Shelter in Place, Winston Wachter Seattle, Seattle, WA
2020
Everything Will Be Okay, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY
2019
Dimmitt Contemporary Art, Houston, TX
2018
New Paintings, Voltz Clarke Gallery, New York, NY
2017
Like Father Like Daughter (with Robert Genn), Canada House, Banff, AB
2016
Feature, Mayberry Fine Art, Toronto, ON
2015
Different Strokes (with Joshua Webster), Voltz Clarke Gallery, New York, NY
2013
Recent Travels (with Robert Genn), Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
2011
Recent Paintings (with Robert Genn), Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
2010
Winter Paintings, Illuminated Metropolis Gallery, New York, NY
White, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Objects of Desire, Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg, MB
2009
Recent Paintings, Hollander York Gallery, Toronto
The Art of Collecting, Voltz-Clarke, New York, NY
2005
Surfacing, Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
2003
Desire Paintings, Diane Farris Gallery (for City TV), Vancouver, BC
Fresh, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina
Fresh, Gallery 83, Vancouver, BC
2002
Desire Paintings, Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
2001
MacKenzie Sketch, Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
MacKenzie Sketch, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
MacKenzie Sketch, Jenkins Showler Gallery, White Rock, BC
Destination, Adele Campbell Gallery, Whistler, BC
2000
Powder Scenes, Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
Powder Scenes, Jenkins Showler Gallery, White Rock, BC
Powder Scenes, Ruby Street Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1999
Sketches of Spain, Jenkins Showler Gallery, White Rock, BC
1997
The Quilt Concept, Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
Scapes, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
Like Father Like Daughter (with Robert Genn), Canada House, Banff, AB
1996
The Quilt Concept, Canada House, Banff, AB
The Bayeux Tapestry, Humberston Edwards, West Vancouver, BC
The Bayeux Tapestry, Jenkins Showler Gallery, White Rock, BC
1995
The Children's Illustrated Dictionary, Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
1994
The Children's Illustrated Dictionary, Humberston Edwards, West Vancouver, BC
The Shakespeared Puritan, Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
1993
The Shakespeared Puritan, Sheck Galleries, Calgary, AB
1992
The Shakespeared Puritan, Jenkins Showler Gallery, White Rock, BC
The Shakespeared Puritan, Humberston Edwards, West Vancouver, BC
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023
Intersect Aspen, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY
2022
Untitled art, Miami Beach, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY
Art Toronto, Gallery Jones, Vancouver, BC
Small is Beautiful, Flowers Gallery, London, UK
Summer Times, Gallery Jones, Vancouver, BC
Seattle Art Fair, Winston Wachter Seattle, WA
XX: Twenty Year Exhibition, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY
Dallas Art Fair, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY
2021
Dallas Art Fair, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY
Small is Beautiful, Flowers Gallery, London, UK
Art Toronto, Gallery Jones, Vancouver, BC
Shift, Dimmitt Contemporary Art, Houston TX
2020
Small is Beautiful, Flowers Gallery, London, UK
Finalists Exhibition - Luxembourg Art Prize 2020, The Pinacothèque, Luxembourg, LU
Seattle Deconstructed Art Fair, Winston Wachter Seattle, Seattle, WA
The Intercepting Nature of Color + Form, Gallery Jones, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2019
Untitled Miami, Winston Wachter Seattle, Miami Beach, FL
A Walk In The Forest, Sara Nightingale Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
2018
Emergence, Dimmitt Contemporary, Houston, TX
Kimoto and Friends, 5th Year Anniversary Exhibition, Kimoto Gallery, Vancouver, BC
56th Annual Winter Group, Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
Winter Wonderwalls V, Kimoto Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Seasons, Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg, MB
Summer Group, Mayberry Fine Art, Toronto, ON
2017
Nod To Mod, Dab Art, Ventura, CA
Winter Wonderwalls, Kimoto Gallery, Vancouver, BC
New Directions, (Selection: Ruth Erickson, Associate Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston) Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
Abstract: Design Showcase, (Art Advisor: Christopher Fadden) Kimoto Gallery, Vancouver, BC
That Night In Toronto, (Curator: Danielle Krysa, The Jealous Curator) Mayberry Fine Art, Toronto, ON
78 Greene Street, (Curated by Voltz Clarke Gallery, NYC) Veronica Beard SoHo, New York, NY
2016
Investigating Abstraction Today, (Curator: Kristin Peterson Edwards, KPEArts) LeClerc Contemporary, Norwalk CT
Free Arts, Free Arts NY, New York, NY
NYFW, (Curated by Voltz Clarke Gallery, NYC) Veronica Beard, New York, NY
2015
10-20, Mayberry Fine Art, Toronto, ON
Art For The Heart, Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg, MB
2013
Manhattan House , Voltz-Clarke, New York, NY
Eighteen Squared, Mayberry Fine Art, Toronto, ON
Armory Tour, Voltz-Clarke, New York, NY
2012
Manhattan House , Voltz-Clarke, New York, NY
Eighteen Squared, Mayberry Fine Art, Toronto, ON
Armory Tour, Voltz-Clarke, New York, NY
2011
Eighteen Squared, Mayberry Fine Art, Toronto, ON
Spirit Of Winter, Adele Campbell Gallery, Whistler, BC
The Holiday Show, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
A Modern Manhattan Salon, Voltz-Clarke, New York, NY
Armory Tour, Voltz-Clarke, New York, NY
Full Circle, Sara Nightingale Gallery, Water Mill, NY
2010
Review/Preview, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Pocket Calls to Nature, Sara Nightingale Gallery, Shelter Island, NY
Illuminated Metropolis Group Show, Marian Spore, Brooklyn, NY
Armory Tour, Voltz-Clarke, New York, NY
Homecoming, Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg, MB
2009
August Selections, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Holiday Miniatures, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
Sixteen Squared, Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg, MB
Joy of Winter, Adele-Campbell, Whistler, BC
2008
July Exhibit, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Holiday Miniatures, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
Lake O'Hara, Jenkins Showler Gallery, White Rock, BC
2007
Halcyon Days, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Clear Blue Sky, Aidan Savoy Gallery, New York, NY
Opening, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
Holiday Miniatures, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
Anniversary, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
2006
First Encounter, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Reopening, Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
Diva, Adele Campbell Gallery, Whistler, BC
Joy of Winter, Adele Campbell Gallery, Whistler, BC
2005
Night of 1,000 Drawings, Artist's Space, New York, NY
2004
Night of 1,000 Drawings, Artist's Space, New York, NY
Joy of Winter, Adele Campbell Gallery, Whistler, BC
Dorothy's Waffle, samplesize, Toronto, ON
2003
Opening, Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg, MB
A Study In White, Herald Square (for Nissan Infiniti), New York, NY
2002
Small Works, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Holiday Miniatures, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
Joy of Winter, Adele Campbell Gallery, Whistler, BC
Feel Good Art, Canada House, Banff, AB
New Artists in a New Gallery, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Anniversary, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
2001
Invitational, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Powder Scenes, West End Gallery, Victoria, BC
Self Portraits 11, Bruce, Vancouver, BC
Joy of Winter, Adele Campbell Gallery, Whistler, BC
MacKenzie Sketch, False Creek Art Consulting, Vancouver, BC
The Fall Collection, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2000
Invitational, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
From Around The World, Assiniboia Gallery, Regina, SK
MacKenzie Sketch, Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
PRESS & PUBLICATIONS
Karen Darlow, Clean Lines and Monochromes, Homes and Gardens, May 25, 2022
Diane Cowan, Dentist Turns a White Box, Houston Chronicle, August 13, 2021
Palm Springs Art Museum: Insiders View: Sara Genn's Palm Springs House And Studio, March 26, 2021
Jennifer Hernandez, Nick Olsen Deigned Every Room in This NYC Townhouse to Feel Like a Surprise, House Beautiful, February 6, 2019
Vicky Lowry and Manuel Rodriguez, Anatomy of a Home, Introspective Magazine, October 2, 2018
Quoctrung Bui and Claire Miller, The Jobs You’re Most Likely to Inherit From Your Mother and Father, The New York Times, November 22, 2017
Interview, Create Magazine, July 24, 2017
Dasha Matsuura (selection,) Create! Magazine Vol. V, June 2017
Lonny Magazine
Jamee Gregory, New York Parties, Private Views (Rizzoli), 2010
LXTV OpenHouseNYC
W
New York Post
Canadian House and Home
Stephen Henderson, Opposites Attract, Town and Country, May 2008
FLARE
American Art Collector
MacLeans
Canadian Living
NYLON, Japan, April 2007
American Art Collector, March 2007
Robin Laurence, Small Wonders, Georgia Straight, December 2006
Gillian Duffy, Gilded to Perfection, New York Magazine, November 2006
Jeffrey Podolski, Nude York Times, Tatler, October 2006
A Study In White, Vogue, February 2004
Deirdre Kelly, RADAR, Elle Canada, May 2003
Sara Genn, International Showcase, International Artist, April/May 2003
Danyael Halprin, You Gotta Have Heart, The Calgary Straight, June 2002
Robert Genn, Father and Daughter, Art Avenues, June 2002
Marisa Babic, Incredible Journey, Now, September 2001
Sarah Reeder, Young Punks, Fashion Vancouver, April 2001
Gloria Sully, Leadership In The Arts, The York Rose, September 2000
Alex Browne, Big Picture, Little Picture, The Peace Arch News, February 1996
Bernice Huxtable, A Vintage Affair, The Peace Arch News, December 1995
Debbie Malyk, Beginnings, Peninsula Magazine, June 1992
AWARDS
Emerson Landing Residency, Wye Mills, Maryland 2009, 2010, 2011
United Way Special Achiever, 2001
British Columbia Provincial Scholarship, 1990
York House School Art Prize, 1990
National Gallery Children's Collection, London, 1978
SELECTED PROJECTS
Installation, Wild Horses, curated by Brooke Hodge, Tamarisk Country Club, Rancho Mirage, CA, 2022
Commission, Everything Will Be Okay, (Echo) and (Canyon), 2021, Palm Springs Art Museum, 2021
Installation, Wild Horses, 2019, The Sidonia Milano Art Center, Palm Springs Art Gallery, Palm Springs, CA, 2019
The Letters, 2013 - 2022
Natasha Schlesinger, Voltz Clarke Gallery, New York, NY, 2015
Magnises, New York, NY, 2015
Heli-painting in the Bugaboos, CMH Bugaboos, Canada, 2012, 2013
From Plein-air to Abstraction, Hollyhock, Cortes Island, BC, 2012, 2013
Colour, Commitment, Creativity, Hollyhock, Cortes Island, BC, 2011
Armory Tour, Voltz-Clarke, New York NY, 2011-2013
Installation, Pickett's Press, Voltz-Clarke, New York, 2011
Panelist, Northern Voice, Vancouver, 2010
Armory Tour, Voltz-Clarke, New York, 2010
Installation, Adrian DeBerardinis, Voltz-Clarke, New York, 2010-2013
Installation, Katie Lydon Design, New York, 2010
The Art of Collecting, Voltz-Clarke, New York, 2009
Residency, Lucca, Italy 2008
Lake O'Hara and other Rocky Mountain Projects, 2006-2010
A Study In White, Nissan Infiniti, New York, 2004
AAF Contemporary Art Fair, New York, 2004
Art Doesn't Imitate Life, The Toronto Arts Council, Toronto, 2003
United Way Community Harmony Tapestry, Vancouver, 2001
Wild Salmon City, Vancouver, 2001
Saraphina Mosey, 1998 - 1999
SELECTED CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
United Way
Crown Life
Beringa, Vancouver, BC
Clark, Wilson and Associates, Vancouver, BC
Peace Arch Hospital
The Surrey Cancer Clinic
Canuck Place, Vancouver, BC
Blackmont, Vancouver, BC
York House School Archives
Queen's University Alumni Archives