Sara Gaqa was born in 1980 in a small town called Geldern in the very west of Germany where she spent most of her childhood. Growing up in Teheran/Iran for a couple of years where her father is originated from, was an important time in her life. She always had a keen interest in art and design and started painting on canvas at the age of only 14.
In 2000 Sara decided to study natural science and finished her masters in Biology in 2006. She met her husband while travelling through South Africa and finally decided to move to South Africa in 2008, leaving the field of science. Following her passion in art, she is since 2015 actively and full time concentrating on her work as an artist. Today she is residing in Hout Bay near Cape Town together with her family.
As a completely self-taught artist, she draws her inspiration from all that surrounds her. Especially the fascination of the African culture and its people influence her strong art. Through her marriage into the Xhosa culture, she was able to gain more insight into the African heritage and myths. The magic of Africa is combined with the gold of the orient as well as the European love for simplicity.
Her art is usually not one that dominates the room but is rather intended to harmonize with its environment, yet sending out a powerful message touching the careful observer. Soft colours, as well as textures, are used to show different development stages of the artwork from unfinished sketches to detailed finishes complementing each other. Her portraits are meant to speak to the observer, communicating a feeling, a moment in time, a memory.
Sara prefers to work with oil, sometimes in combination with other media such as acrylic. Using brushes and the pallet knife, she tries to find a fine balance between naturalistic and abstract elements.