Sarah Fripon’s practice constitutes a process of the quoting and imitation of imagery containing fragments of stock photographs, cinematic elements, screengrabs, 3D software and other forms of digital and analogue photographic iconography that are collated and manipulated within compositions that explore aspects of societal power structures and temperaments. The imagery within Fripon’s work is oftentimes taken from her everyday life, building on an archive of documentation that she collects as a guest in others houses, on city walks, mail-order catalogues, in shops and other facets of the private and public spheres. Fripon then modifies, edits and manipulates the images into collages that act as association chains or streams of consciousness that the artist ultimately ties together within the canvas.
The resultant works within Fripon’s practice explore elements of contemporary macro socio- economic events and structures through a reflection upon personal psychology. In this regard, there is an interest in the crisis ridden absurdity of contemporary life examined through the depiction of consumerist imagery combined with an underlying angst that communicates a sense of disassociation. Furthermore, the oscillation between the analogue and digital roots of the imagery presents the idea of them being modes of time like encoded meta data, creating a sense of the archeological through which we aim to grasp a comprehension of contemporary consciousness.
Sarah Fripon (b. 1989 in Zeitz, Germany) currently lives and works in Vienna, Austria. Fripon studied at The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna graduating with a B.A. in Fashion Design 2015 and an MA in Fine Art in 2021. Selected previous exhibitions include: ‘Out of Sight, Seen’, Kunstforum, Vienna, 2024; ‘The Last Laugh’, Podium, Hong Kong, 2024; ‘Fine, Thank You’ (solo), Renata Fabbri, Milan, 2023; ‘A Gift To The Dark’, Vin Vin, Vienna, 2023; ‘Talking About C’ (solo), Harkawik, New York, 2022; ‘Try To Look Natural’ (solo), Pilot, Vienna, 2022; ‘Pending Objects I’, Fünfzigzwanzig, Salzburg, 2021; ‘Mixed Feelings’, WAF Gallery, Vienna, 2021; ‘Die Akademie schläft nicht’, Palais Liechtenstein, Vienna, 2020; ‘Austrian Graphics Award’, Taxispalais Kunsthalle Tirol, Innsbruck, 2019; ‘Koschatzky Art Award’, MUMOK Hofstallungen, Vienna, 2019. Fripon’s works are part of the collection of the Baden State Museum in Karlsruhe, The Graphic Collection of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and the collection of the Vienna Museum. She was a Fellowship Awardee of the Bank of Austria Studios 2022–2024.
