Artist Statement

I am fascinated with human identity and relationship interaction. The ways in which we communicate and relate with one another remains a continual source of inspiration for me to create work. My paintings have evolved from a desire to demonstrate the abstract creation of visual memories to addressing the curation of thoughts and relationships through an online lens, to finally taking a close look at the intimate moments that form our relationships and the elusive idea of ‘love’.

My current artistic motivation intertwines the way in which we date and love in the modern ‘20s through the vantage point of interracial relationships. Dating has evolved from the romantic comedy meet-cute to a ruthless multiplayer game where the virtual controls more than the real. We swipe right and left to find a match, the algorithm controlling what potential mates are available to us from age and career to race and background. We melt into our online avatars, swapping identities like phone numbers, each selfie implying a different version of ourselves. Combing through the breadcrumbs left by romantic partners and deciphering emojis like modern hieroglyphics, we seek meaning from the meaningless. I seek to dismantle the way contemporary dating has implied that millennials and gen-z no longer know how to love as well as the seemingly everlasting societal stigma around interracial relationships being destined to fail.

My work is representational of my generation’s desire to act in the movie of our own lives. By retaining a level of identity ambiguity within the paintings, it allows the viewer to place themselves within the narrative. Influenced by digital culture, memes, reality television, the sociopolitical history of interracial relationships, and the internet, my paintings seek to occupy space between reality and fiction.

Solo Exhibitions

Not O.K., Arts Factory, Vancouver, September 2021
Blind Romance, B1 Gallery, Vancouver, February 2021
Love, Madness, Arts Factory, Vancouver,  August 2019
Casually Indifferent, Arts Factory, Vancouver,  July 2018
Collection of Obscure Sorrows, Electric Umbrella, Nanaimo,  April 2012

Group Exhibitions

NEXT, Pendulum Gallery, Vancouver, November 2022, curated by Paul de Guzman, Eri Ishii, & Hugh Kearney
The Audacity of Taking Up Space, Penticton Art Gallery, Penticton, guest curated by Laurie Landry, September 23 to November 5 2022
Boobies + Wieners 7, Arts Factory, Vancouver, February 2020
CLÜB 90's SHOW, James Black Gallery, Vancouver, October 2019
Electric Lust, STR/KE Movement, Vancouver, August 2018

Awards

Advanced Studio Award, VIU, 2011
Photography Award, VIU, 2011
Artist Recognition Award, VIU 2011

Media

Cam & Tina: “Episode 5: Tackling Creative Burnout with Sára Molčan." Interview by Cam Schreiner and Tina Walczak of Hiilite. Podcast. Feb. 2021.
CiTR's Current Affairs Collective: “Episode August 22, 2019.” Interview by Annie Rueter. Podcast. 22 Aug. 2019.
Influenced: “Episode 7: Mental Health and Selling Emotion." Interview by Jacquie Shaw. Podcast. 8 Feb. 2017.
Opus Art Supplies: “Conversations With Creatives: Interviews with 12 Artists From The 24th Annual Eastside Culture Crawl.” Interview by Chloé from Opus. YouTube. 12 Nov. 2020.
Snagcast: “SNAGCAST Ep. 28 - Girl Gang." Interview by Nick Pound and Katie So. Podcast. 18 Feb. 2019. 

For press coverage, click here.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, Vancouver Island University, 2011