About the exhibition

“Citizen of the World is an exhibition of 6 x 6 inch linocut portraits portraying 300 individual members of our human collective (society) in an extended present tense. It is a portrait of humanity but the individual portraits reveal diversity within the collective. As our identities are bound up with our ideas of difference and uniqueness, these prints challenge the viewer’s biases. Even though a photograph is often considered to be “more true” than a picture in another medium, all mediums contribute their own visual quality to the interpretation of a subject. Some viewers have said the portraits capture more than physical features and the subjects themselves had a say in how they were portrayed as they chose or approved of the photograph used to make the linocuts.

The interpretive nature of the viewer’s relationship to each subject adds to the discussion of what these portraits mean together and individually. We see the work through the lens of our personal
experiences, ideas and culture. For me, the portraits bring forth memories and emotions attached to each of the subjects. Each is someone I know or have spent time with, even if only for a single
conversation. It is my interaction with each individual that I think about while cutting the plate. To be thought about by others is a kind of blessing. I hope the accumulative acts of making and view-
ing contributes to the energy of goodwill in the world.”

About the artist

Sara Norquay – Born in Edmonton, raised in Toronto, and employed as a free-lance Opera Equity Stage Manager during her twenties while living in Alberta, Sara attended the Alberta College of Art in the mid-70s. After receiving a B.A. in English from the University of Toronto and a B.Ed from Queens University in the 80’s, she married and went to live in Santa Barbara, California. There she raised children, taught, and exhibited prints and artist books before moving back to Edmonton in 2009. She is known in Alberta for her Lino portraits, large woodcuts, and artist books.