ARTIST BIO
Sara Petroff
I was put on this earth to create and only in recent years have I given myself permission to fully unleash my untapped potential. With degrees in both Visual Fine Arts and Interior Design, I have served as the curator and artistic director of
Toronto’s prominent Petroff Gallery for over 20 years, coached countless artists in their professional practice, juried art shows, taught art and sat on several boards and advisory committees nin the arts. All the while dreaming that it should be my artwork up on those gallery walls!
In 2013 I sold the gallery to establish Petroff Design, a thriving Interior Design and Art Consulting practice, with the intent of striking a balance between my day job in front of the computer and my dream job in my studio, where I am truly happiest, hands dirty, pushing the medium and creating something from nothing.
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Artist Statement
My artistic practice explores themes of memory, impermanence, and identity through the transformation of obsolete analogue artifacts into sculptural collage. Drawing on my background in both fine art and curatorial work, I approach creation as an act of excavation— unearthing the personal and cultural narratives embedded in overlooked, discarded objects.
Primarily working with aged papers, and mixed media, I create pieces that echo the structure of clothing—not to replicate wearables, but to evoke the intimacy and weight of what we carry, both physically and emotionally. These works function as vessels of memory, at once delicate and resilient, fragile yet layered with story.
Each composition is informed by tactile intuition and a deep sensitivity to the histories of the materials. My process is intentionally slow and accumulative, involving layering, staining, tearing, and reconstruction. This methodology reflects the nonlinear nature of memory, and the cyclical tension between disintegration and preservation.
By integrating archival aesthetics with contemporary assemblage, my work aims to hold space for personal reflection and collective resonance, inviting viewers to reflect on their own narratives and the quiet but potent significance of what we leave behind. I am particularly interested in how the domestic realm and material ephemera serve as containers for identity, care, and loss
Please note: All artworks are subject to availability.
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A Venetian Vision
$6,800.00