Sarah Smuts-Kennedy’s practice is focused on a research based investigation into fields of energy as they engage with conceptual thinking both within an art based language and other intuition driven modes of enquiry.

Her art practice synthesises broad research territories that integrate restorative horticultural and esoteric knowledge. Over the past decade she has been able to test these out at both a social sculptural scale across New Zealand, and her studio based practice. These projects have enabled her to develop embodied knowledge that has culminated in delivering large scale energy installations both within community, landscape and contemporary art contexts. The foundation of her practice centres around performing the possibility of healing with the outcomes of this performance (her life) giving form to artefacts that vibrate the qualities of joy, the vibration when experienced in the bodies of biological life occur as aliveness, balance and peacefulness.

Smuts-Kennedy has an MFA with honours from Elam School of Fine Art, University of Auckland.  She has exhibited widely throughout Australasia since 2003 in public, private and artist run spaces.  She had a major exhibition "Energy Work" with Kathy Barry curated by Christina Barton for the Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University in 2022.  In 2019 she received a Creative New Zealand research grant and travelled to Kyoto, Japan. In 2016 she was the McCahon House Artist in Residence and as well had residencies at Artspace Aotearoa (2015), RM (2015), Artspace Sydney (2009) and Lock Up in Newcastle, Australia  (2009).  Her work is held in private collections throughout Aotearoa and Australia as well as public collections incliuding Art Bank, Sydney, Art Gallery of South Australia, The Arts House Trust, Deutsche Bank, Sydney, Macquarie Group Collection, Sydney, Newcastle Rehional Gallery, Wollongong Regional Art Galelry and the Te Haerenga Collection, Auckland.

Smuts-Kennedy will exhibit new work as part of a group exhibition "The Secret Life of Plants" at Melanie Roger Gallery in October 2024.

Sarah Smuts-Kennedy courtesy of Laree Payne Gallery.