about
Kyra Sacks (1989) is a visual artist, social anthropologist, and art educator based in Amsterdam.
She combines an artistic eye with an anthropological lens. She is driven by a sense of urgency to move us from passive bystanders to active agents, engaging more deeply with the world around us. She believes that in order to do so empathy is key. Be it with humans or more-than-humans: we must “love the world enough to assume responsibility for it”, as Hannah Arendt wrote. Kyra’s work unflattens single narratives and perspectives and creates space for recognition and connection, encouraging us to come closer.
Kyra’s art is not ornamental, but investigative. Central themes in her work are displacement and belonging, shifting landscapes and social injustices. Through a practice of drawing, deep listening and attentive observation, she connects and makes others feel heard and seen and their stories tangible. She is capable to surface the unsayable. Her work captures intimate, personal experiences while connecting them to larger social and structural dynamics.
Her practice is informed by on-site research and immersion, where she gathers material through (participatory) drawing , writing, (audio and video) recording, archival work and interviews. Guided by encounters and responsive to what unfolds in the moment, she creates multimodal ethnographies and artworks, including mixed-media drawings, interactive online pieces, deep maps, art-based methods, and visual essays.
Kyra has drawn the realities of migration for the International Committee of the Red Cross, and collaborated with organisations such as the Savory Institute, Ashoka, KPMG, DELA Funerals, VriendenLoterij Fonds and THNK School of Creative Leadership. Her artworks have found permanent homes in the collections of the Amsterdam City Archive, AkzoNobel Art Foundation, Sanquin and others. She exhibits her work with Gallery Fleur & Wouter in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
testimonies
“Je werk heeft vaak een weemoedig of melancholisch gevoel dat veroorzaakt wordt door de confrontatie met het onherroepelijke aan verandering. Jouw tekeningen lijken de grote onderwerpen een menselijke maat te geven, waardoor je je er als kijker mee kunt verbinden; kunst en wetenschap verstrengelen zich met elkaar.”
“Kyra brought her art mastery, her heart, her vast intuition and a unique ambidextrous, uncanny in-tune-ness to bare in an infinitely complex and trying assignment. She did not just deliver the basic agreement, she shaped and made the whole journey something it wasn’t before we brought her in. We depended on her in the best possible way. In the way partners should. Kyra is an artist and practitioner working courageously at the outer edges of her metier - understanding the full power of art as a force far greater than the performative.”
“She made things personal and subjective, and provided access to people’s lives, memories, dreams and routines, without turning things sentimental or merely appealing to compassion. (…) She manages to get close to people’s daily trivialities and ups-and-downs, and demonstrating how these make real lives – which is the best thing humanities or social sciences can do.”
“Kyra Sacks has more than an artists’ vision: she has a deep understanding of human behaviour and motivation. That’s what makes her drawings so multi-dimensional. They capture more than a moment. They resonate with the whole process, trigger memories, initiate conversations and move ideas forward.”
“Haar veelzijdigheid is haar kracht. Ze is in staat dingen ‘af te pellen’ en heel snel tot de kern te komen. En het dan zo te formuleren of te verbeelden dat anderen met haar mee kunnen. (…) wij ontdekken door met haar mee te gaan.”
“An exploration of the crossroads between graphic art, poetry and ethnography.”
“Ze is staat menselijk lijden op een tactiele manier te verbeelden.”