Sarah Braman

When we think of sculpture in the traditional sense, we think about the representation of either a person or a real object, often in wood or bronze. By looking at it the viewer responds to the figure, as if it was a reflection of himself. In the 1960s artists in America began to develop simpler forms – blocks, cubes, triangles – that demanded a far more involved response from the public. ‘A simple form does not necessarily coincide with a simple experience’, once stated the artist Robert Morris. This new American art was about the essence of things. The essence was thought to be abstraction.

Sarah Braman takes those minimalist forms on their own terms and turns them into coloured Plexiglas objects, which with the help of light and space acquire a miraculous sensuality. They draw an emotional response and transcend the formal, aesthetic qualities that are so characteristic of modern artworks. Braman’s work connects with everyday life. Her sculptures tell stories often suggested in the titles. Suddenly, this is no longer a simple form that evokes a complex experience, but a complex form that evokes a simple experience; possibly an inversion of all values?