Baby goats are the stars of Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart’s camera. From repetitive daily farm routines of mowing grass and caring for farm animals, the artist stages performative acts of rural actions with a touch of humour. Baby goats are displayed in backdrop-like nature or in human spaces such as offices. The artist, through dramatic compositions, pantomimes her farm fantasies in a series of still photographs and short videos.
Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Office, 2025, color digital photograph on vinyl, 102 x 68 inches. Photo: Sherry Qin
Her satirical images of living in rural areas embrace comedic yet chic interpretations of a 21st century girl. She creates images depicting cocktail nights in the trees with tree elves (Absinthe, 2025) or a figure wearing a blue checkered dress shooting a sky-blue rifle while perched on a newly painted fence (Centrist, 2025). These are whimsical fantasies of a foreign world in a familiar land.
Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Absinthe, 2025, color digital photograph on vinyl, 84 x 60 inches (left), courtesy of Rukaj Gallery and detail (right), photo: Sherry Qin
Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Centrist, 2025, color digital photograph on vinyl, 84 x 60 inches. Courtesy of Rukaj Gallery
A staged theme is set for each photograph or series of photographs with motifs taken from the artist’s personal life using consistent, repetitive color palettes. Szkabarnicki-Stuart is emphasizing the figurative elements of the subjects in the picture even when the person is physically hiding in plain sight. It’s like a guessing game. Her spotlighting directs the viewer to her central focus without draining curiosity for other details in the work that come into view over longer periods of observation.
Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Tree, 2018, archival pigment print, 30 x 37.5 inches. Photo: Sherry Qin
In a life emersed in nature, Szkabarnicki-Stuart pays tribute to the imagery of her surroundings with the very things that are sabotaging them. A woman wrapped in plastic and waste seems to be in danger of drowning. We are touched by her suffering in this alluring photograph.
A woman sits on a tree trunk during a windy day at a stony beach in Pt. Roberts (2019) surrounded by water. Her veil is flying in the wind, while two black birds and bare tree trunks add a foreboding feeling to the image. Szkabarnicki-Stuart puts emphasis on audience interactions through direct eye contact with viewers and spotlighting, engaging viewers with characteristics of the cinema of attractions movement that used low-budget effects and optical illusions.
Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Pt. Roberts, 2019, archival pigment print, 30 x 42 inches. Photo: Sherry Qin
Szkabarnicki-Stuart’s trompe l’oeil brings the adorable baby goats into the cityscape and the gallery space. What would life be like in the city with baby goats roaming about like dogs and cats? Do they show the same curiosity and enjoyment? Or do they feel claustrophobic and scared? A glimpse of this possibility is given to us through the candid lens of their experience in the gallery space. These photographs demonstrate Szkabarnicki-Stuart’s ability to incorporate a wide range of techniques from various movements and mediums, using optical illusions and stunts as well as lighting and color to bring an element of surprise in the form of out-of-context details in each work.
Installation views with Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Window 1, 2025, colour digital photograph on vinyl, 44.25 x 108 inches (left) & Bench, 2025, colour digital photograph on vinyl, 118.5 x 134 inches (right). Photo: Sherry Qin
In the peculiar acts of farm fantasies and her exploration of mutable identities, she finds consistency with a singular cigarette, burned, and smoked repeatedly, acting as the medium for grounding her changing self. The short and repetitive visual images flash at viewers like advertisements, signaling and persuading onlookers to buy their product through lifestyle association. Images offer euphoric sensations dipped in nostalgia and romanticism. As the artist spotlights herself against a shadow-filled backdrop, she sets the tone for a day reflecting on her soul as a heavenly being accompanied by the spirit of judgement (the goat) in Farm Cigarette. Here, the cigarette is the bridge between the physical world and the spiritual, connecting the senses to the soul.
Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Farm Cigarette, 2024, video still part of a video projection, total run time: 1 minute 56 seconds. Photo: Sherry Qin
In a cozy bubbly bath, she finds herself drowning in her own comfort only to resurface for a puff of cigarette in Bath Cigarette. Here, the cigarette is her savior, the light at the end of the tunnel, the only thing keeping her afloat in her stale and yet comfortable state.
Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Bath Cigarette, 2024, video still part of a video projection, total run time: 1 minute 56 seconds. Photo: Sherry Qin
Originally wanting to work in advertisement, Szkabarnicki-Stuart’s work takes on a billboard quality through bold colors, dramatic compositions, and satirical interpretations of rural day-to-day activities. Her works are eye-catching with a certain degree of absurdity, a modern take on vaudeville. There is never a dull moment in her images, and her magical farm fantasies are worthy of applause.
Sherry Qin
*Exhibition information: Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Wonder, May 29 – Jul 27, 2025, Koffler Arts, 180 Shaw St., #104, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed & Fri – Sun 12:30 – 5pm, Thurs 12:30 – 8pm.