​How I made me: Sarah Francis
Reclaiming Space: The Art of Consent, Agency, and Transformation
Sarah Francis (She/They) is a Welsh Queer Disabled Assemblage Artist living and working in Leeds. Their contemporary art practice is bold and thought-provoking, engaging with themes of identity, materiality, and transformation. With a growing presence in the art world, their work continues to challenge and captivate audiences. Available for sales, commissions, and exhibitions. Email for enquiries.
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Francis’ work delves deeply into themes of consent, agency, and pleasure, navigating these raw territories through assemblage, sculpture, and photography. Drawing from lived experience, their practice explores the intimate connections between queer, disabled bodies, memory, land, and self. By defying conventional narratives, Francis’ art is an act of advocacy, pushing boundaries and unapologetically reclaiming space within the contemporary art world.
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Often working with found and recycled materials, they create pieces that evoke raw, untamed landscapes, reflecting the visceral realities of the body and its place within both physical and metaphysical worlds. At its core, their work is a bold act of self-authorship, a reclamation of both body and narrative. By revisiting and reframing perceptions lost during puberty, Francis redefines autonomy and presence on their own terms.
Traversing the sensuality of relationships, the tenderness of love, and the weight of grief, their practice interrogates the environments—both internal and external—that shape identity. With an unwavering commitment to self-exploration, Francis peels back layers of societal masking and framing, offering an authentic reflection of their neurodiverse and queer experience. Their work fearlessly confronts questions of consent, access, and the primal drive for self-determination.
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In 2023, Francis made their U.S. debut at the prestigious Leslie Lohman Museum of Art in New York City, exhibiting alongside artists such as Catherine Opie, Jenna Gribbon, and Nicole Eisenman. Their work has since been acquired by major collections in the UK and US, particularly those dedicated to queer and female artists. Supported by institutions like Arts Council England, Francis holds a Distinction in Fine Art from Leeds University and a First-Class BA(Hons) in Photography from De Montfort University. They continue to carve out vital spaces for disabled and neurodivergent artists in contemporary art.
