About

“Sarah Calmus performed alchemy with string and beams of light” – Susan Mansfield, The Scotsman (2019)

Sarah Calmus (B. 1989, Essex) is an interdisciplinary artist and producer concerned with building spaces that allow for interaction, connection and reflection.

In 2014, Calmus graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Art, Philosophy and Contemporary Practices. She works across a multitude of mediums involving moving image, light, sound and sculptural forms, Calmus often builds site specific, large-scale immersive installations and provocations that encourage participatory interaction and highlight ecologies of varying scale. Discover more about her artworks and projects.

A dynamic force within the Scottish arts scene, alongside her personal practice Calmus is also a Programmer, Producer, Tutor and Exhibition Handler for a wide variety of initiatives. Previous clients/employers/collaborators include: National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Applied Arts Scotland, Royal Scottish Academy and Hidden Door Festival. 

She was nominated to be President of Visual Arts Scotland (2020-2023). Key achievements include initiating the vital Emergency Art Workers Support Fund in March 2020 during the pandemic and managing the first round of the Visual Arts strand of the Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers from the Scottish Government, in partnership with Creative Scotland and Visual Arts Scotland. An advocate of the arts, Calmus also aims to create equitable spaces for those who are not traditionally centred in the creative industries. 

Calmus is exploring new interactive public art sculptural projects through different mediums, with sustainability and accessibility at their core. Alongside new infrastructure for her new initiative Studio Sumlacs, a socially-driven art production studio that aims to bring her practice alongside supporting other artists and freelancers through the creation of new opportunities, collaborative projects and better working practices.