(NL, 1994)
Sara Punt believes that creativity lives in the spaces between thoughts. Her work, defined by bold black-and-white contrasts and bodies that transform into abstract forms, grows out of an intimate process of exploration shared with her models. Over the past years, she has concentrated on the ways people see themselves and others. In today’s culture, where the prevailing norm demands sexual appeal and where bodies are often hyper-sexualized, Punt positions her work as resistance.
Central to her practice is the abstraction of the body. Arms, legs, torsos, and faces dissolve into independent shapes, detached from the narratives usually projected onto them. A shoulder may become a curve of pure geometry, a hand a sculptural fragment, a torso a landscape of light and shadow. By isolating and reimagining body parts, she allows them to exist beyond social expectations, free of labels such as “attractive” or “unacceptable.”
This method reflects Punt’s deeper aim: acceptance of the body in all its forms. Every person carries experiences—bullying, (sexual) abuse, injury, upbringing, or the influence of social media, that affect how they view their own body or that of others. Through abstraction, Punt creates distance between the self and the physical form. In this space, the body is no longer burdened by trauma or imposed ideals, but instead revealed as an artwork in itself, something to be observed, respected, and ultimately embraced.
