About

Artist Statement

Based in Scenic Rim, QLD, artist Niomi Sands explores the collections of everyday objects that surround us in her work. Found objects serve as a cornerstone of her artistic practice, evoking themes of memory and personal experience. Through her use of ephemeral materials, Sands re-contextualizes these objects, encouraging reflection and new perspectives. By manipulating scale and repetition, she brings attention to overlooked domestic items that often fade into the background of daily life.

Sands meticulously reconstructs these objects using thread, transforming them into ghostly outlines through hand-sewn lines and abstract studies with cross-stitched motifs. Thread and sewing techniques—essential to the fabric of our everyday lives—serve as both medium and metaphor in her work. These techniques, which have traditionally occupied a space between recreational and domestic activity, underscore the omnipresence of sewing in both home and work environments. Sands also highlights its historical and cultural associations as a traditionally feminine craft.

Biography

Sands is an accomplished practicing artist and arts professional with an extensive academic and professional background. She graduated with First-Class Honours in a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The University of Newcastle in 2000. In 2007, she earned a Master of Museum Studies from The University of Sydney, followed by a Graduate Diploma in Arts and Cultural Management from the University of South Australia in 2013. She was awarded a Doctor of Visual Art from Griffith University in 2021.

Currently serving as the Creative Industries Program Leader at Logan City Council, Sands demonstrates extensive leadership and expertise in the arts sector. Previously, she was the Gallery Director at Grafton Regional Gallery, where she played a pivotal role as part of the senior project team responsible for delivering the gallery’s multi-million-dollar upgrade, successfully unveiled in March 2021. Prior to this role, Sands served as Gallery Curator at the Glasshouse Arts Centre for a decade, where she was instrumental in the center’s establishment and opening. Her career also includes a variety of roles across regional galleries in New South Wales, as well as a tenure as a registrar at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA)

Sands' artistic practice focuses primarily on installation-based work. Since 2000, she has exhibited widely in both solo and group exhibitions across Australia, with her works held in numerous collections throughout New South Wales..

Image: Niomi Sands, where the lost things go I, 2019, cotton, Arches paper, entomology pins, table, stool and sewing equipment (performance detail, Grey Street Gallery QCA) Courtesy of the artist. Photographer Andrew Willis