Sarah Goffney (she/they) is a queer, first generation Irish-American artist. She previously studied at Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia, earning her BFA in photography and certificate in screen studies. As a self-described multidisciplinary artist, Goffney alternates between ceramics and painting while trying to find the overlap between both. When they’re not creating art, you can find them on the rugby pitch somewhere between Philadelphia, PA and Donegal, Ireland.
Artist Statement
I am immersed in the concept of change. It consumes me—the fear of it, the desire for it, the need for it. But what about change am I seeking? Does change reinvent me, or does it continue to uncover the same person? What will spark understanding – chopping off my hair, trying on new aesthetics, moving across the world, or turning back to religion? I question whether these actions stem from a genuine search for insight or are distractions from the weight of the relationships around me and the challenge of confronting my own self-awareness.
I work with these ideas through oil painting and ceramics, with much of my ceramic work rooted in wheel throwing. My work is often created in pairs, with each acting as a mirror to the other. This duality becomes a method of self-reflection—a way to represent my fragmented understanding of self while exploring the tension between the superficial and deeper, more daunting transformations that reshape us. These paired works embody the push and pull between continuity and reinvention, mirroring my own process of navigating identity, self-awareness, and the fear/desire that accompany true growth.
I draw inspiration from new queer media, particularly lesbian coming-of-age narratives found through music, literature, film, and the works of other sapphic artists. These stories reflect the complexities of identity within queerness, resonating deeply with my own experiences of self-discovery, yearning, and transformation. They inform not only the themes of my work but also the emotional language I bring to my practice.
Through self-portraiture, I am capturing how a romanticized time in our life is just as disorganized and suffering of self-perception as any other. I confront the paradox of transformation—how each act of seeking something new can reveal new layers of my identity, rather than casting off the old. My work is the chaotic journey of my late-twenties, inviting others to reflect on their own experiences of sexual identity, growth, turmoil, and the messy interplay of hope and despair. Through this connection, I open a portal to recurring themes—change, uncertainty, yearning and queerness—offering them as a lens through which to navigate the unknown.
