What a privilege to chat with Sarah Güsten-Marr this month about the exceptional philanthropic art, spoken word and song project she is currently pioneering with The Imbumba Foundation’s annual Trek4Mandela Expedition endorsed by the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Sarah has written and produced a beautiful song and donated beautiful abstract expressionist works that she will auction off at a charity Gala event on Madiba’s birthday this year. This is all in support of theTrek4Mandela expedition that summits Mount Kilimanjaro annually on Mandela Day, 18 July, to raise funds to address period poverty and support indigent girls with sanitary products and education. Currently the caring4girls projects has supports over 2-million girls in South Africa.
LIBERIA. I THANK YOU, YOU’VE MADE MY SPIRIT STRONG
YOU’VE NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN
I’VE LOVED YOU ALL ALONG
LIBERIA SO MIGHTY
YOUR ENERGY SO OLD
YOUR LEGACY IS GRACEFUL
YOUR STORY MUST BE TOLD
I SING FOR LIBERIA, MY SWEET LIBERIA
SUFFERING HAS BEEN TOO LONG FOR MY HUMBLE HOME
We love that Sarah uses the funds raised through her paintings, poetry and music to support, mentor and empower you woman and marginalised creatives from the African continent. She uses her home to host artists residences and helps artists bond and connect with like minded audiences and networks, drawing attention to the great art being created in Africa.
Follow Sarah’s projects and see her beautiful paintings on:
sarahgustenmarr.com
Get inspired buy the ground breaking work of there amazing organisations:
https://imbumbafoundation.org/ and
https://sandtonchronicle.co.za/311175/international-artist-and-local-foundation-restore-peace-and-harmony-with-collaboration/
Güsten-Marr’s style is characterized by her use of bold colouring and expressive brushstrokes creating works that evoke an intense emotional response from the viewer. For Güsten-Marr, each application of colour is deliberate and is directly related to the emotions felt by the artist at the time of painting. Often working on several canvases at once allows Güsten-Marr to access the unadulterated subconscious mind resulting in raw and honest yet powerful artworks. For Güsten-Marr, art is a fundamental part of our society and through her art, expresses the world she sees around her.
Sarah Güsten-Marr was born in Liberia, West Africa, in 1970. Orphaned as a baby, Güsten-Marr was adopted by German parents and brought up together with her two older sisters in West Africa, Germany, USA, and Italy. After her school years in Washington D.C. and Rome, Güsten-Marr studied at the Academia di Moda, Rome and at the Istituto Europeo di Design di Roma. She then went on to Winchester School of Art in Great Britain and graduated from the American College of the Applied Arts in London.
