Sarah Malakoff

We’re really excited to share the work of Sarah Malakoff. Sarah is an artist and educator working in large scale color photography. In her work she navigates home interiors, unique settings and reveals an almost hallucinogenic experience in each environment.  There is a sense of theater in these works that invite us to think on how each scenario speaks to us and stimulates questions about intent, domestic life, context. Her works have been exhibited at the Griffin Museum of Photography, The Vermont Center for Photography, Brattleboro, Vermont, the Sol Mednick Gallery, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Plane Space, New York, NY among others. The book Personal History was published by Kehrer Verlag in 2022. She is represented by Anderson Yezerski Gallery in Boston. We are so pleased to feature Sarah and her unique perspectives. - Steven J. Duede, Artist

Personal history

“The great enjoyment in viewing Personal History is that Malakoff finds spaces, and she finds objects, and then she brings them together in conversation. She sets the stage for the viewer to create a narrative for the occupants, and she likely reveals an aspect of them they had not previously seen.

Once Malakoff has photographed a home other places are recommended to her, a process akin to peeling back layers and finding the unexpected beneath, with one eclectic space opening the doors to another. All of the objects she photographs are found in the home, although at times there is creative staging. This emphasizes the character of the collecting, which is seen cleverly in Jackie O (2020) where a substantial amount of Kennedy-era memorabilia blends into the colorful fabric of Marimekko-inspired patterns.

Above all, Malakoff’s works also remind us that most of the spaces we live in are not new, we are likely not the first occupants, and our domestic interiors have a past. Her spaces have been modified; there is clear evidence of rooms that have been adapted for living where the furniture is a bit too large or intensely patterned wallpaper shows evidence of decades of life.“ {excerpt from the essay in Sarah’s recently published book, Personal History}

Jessica Roscio

Director and Curator, Danforth Art Museum

Personal history at What Will You remember

“This is also where curiosity and confusion collide. Malakoff’s considered placement of the comfortably familiar with the patently bizarre instigates a host of questions, from the psychology of collecting to the intent of both photographer and homeowner to larger questions of cultural identity and collective history. She invites viewers into a world bearing obvious emblems of privilege, itself a comment on the socioeconomics of consumerism. Highlighting individualism, she carefully cloaks signs of individual identity, effectively using highly specific material to guide our consideration of underlying meaning.”

“Malakoff’s off-kilter, homey juxtaposition of articles is heightened by a clash of old and new, with story-telling wallpapers, laden draperies and frumpy upholstery sharing space with modern furniture, lighting and appliances....Ensnared by her vibrant and impeccable compositions, Malakoff’s Personal History can feel dystopic, like wandering into a funhouse and losing your bearings. To figure your way out, pay close attention to what you think you see.”

Elin Spring

Writer, Contributor, founder of WWYR