Based in Naarm/Melbourne, Sally Smart is known nationally and internationally for her large-scale cut-out assemblages, collages, textile works and puppetry that come together in immersive installations, performance and video. Her practice engages identity politics, gender hierarchies and the relationships between the body, thought, history and culture. In 2022, she launched P.A.R.A.D.E., the second work in a trilogy exploring the historical avant-garde performances and designs of the early 20th-century Ballets Russes. The recipient of numerous awards and prizes, internationally Sally has held solo exhibitions in Fukuoka, New York, London, Rome, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Jakarta and Hong Kong, and her works are represented in many public and private collections.
Sally’s The Artist’s Family sees ten sculptures (inspired by the hand puppet) form a group portrait with multiple personages related to the artist. An accompanying script by writer and cultural historian Maria Tumarkin imagines conversations between the puppets.
