SAHAR CARTER

Skylar Collette (b. 2000), known artistically as Sahar, is a sculptor, writer, and theorist whose practice emerges from the coastal regions of the United States where land meets the sea. The name Sahar evokes both the desert and the moment before dawn, reflecting the dualities present in their work.

Raised within communities of Black artists across both the West and East Coasts of the United States including Oakland, Miami, Detroit, and New York. Sahar’s artistic development has been shaped by diverse cultural and creative environments. They are currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa, where they are completing a Master’s degree at University of the Witwatersrand.

Sahar’s work draws inspiration from the afflictions of love, the weight of history, and the psychological undercurrents of racism as they manifest in the body. Their practice embraces contradiction and complexity, often exploring emotional and historical tensions through sculptural form.

Coming from a lineage of craftspeople, Sahar represents the fourth generation in their family to work with wood and metal. They are a trained and certified carpenter and metalworker, continuing a familial tradition of material knowledge and craftsmanship.

Their critical writing has appeared in The Kitchen Magazine and Black Intellectual Praxis Journal, while their poetry has been featured in publications such as Oye Zine and The Abyssal Zone, as well as broadcast on DStv. Sahar’s sculptural work has been exhibited at Co-Prosperity Gallery and American Steel Studios.