Sabine Kaner is a distinguished mixed-media textile artist whose work explores themes of identity, migration, and heritage informed by her Caribbean roots. Born in Germany and raised in London during the 1960s and 70s, Kaner’s unique perspective stems from her biracial background, with a mother from Germany and a father from Jamaica.
Her father’s journey to Britain as an airman in the RAF aboard the HMT Empire Windrush is a pivotal aspect of her personal history and artistic narrative. This connection to the Windrush generation and the broader Caribbean diaspora is a recurring and profound influence in her creations. Kaner herself notes, “The immigrant experience has had a profound effect on me and my art. It underpins all the work I create.” This sentiment is vividly expressed in pieces like “Colour of the Nations,” where she incorporates the colors of the Jamaican flag to represent home, family, and ancestral roots.
Kaner’s artistic education includes Fine Art studies at St Martins School of Art , and Manchester School of Art, and advanced printmaking at the Central School of Art in the 1980s. Later, as a mature student, she pursued postgraduate studies in social sciences and art therapy, further enriching her understanding of human experience and marginalized perspectives. These academic pursuits, combined with her personal history, contribute to the intricate layering of meaning in her textile art.
Her artistic practice is characterized by the innovative use of mixed media, including hand-stitching, printing, drawing, watercolours, and appliqué. She often incorporates recycled and thrifted materials, valuing the accidental marks and histories embedded within them. This approach not only reflects a commitment to sustainability but also symbolizes the piecing together of diverse experiences and narratives. Her exhibition “Hand-Stitched Stories” exemplifies her ability to weave personal and collective histories into compelling visual forms.
Education:
St. Martins School of Art (1978-80) Foundation in Art and Design; Manchester School of Art (1981-84) BA (Hons) Fine Art - Printmaking; Central School of Art (1983-84) Advanced printmaking; Holborn College, London (1984-85) Business Studies; York College of FE and HE (1989-91) City & Guilds - Embroidery; Hackney College, London, City guilds adult teacher training for FE (1984-85); Hughenden Manor/National Trust (2008-09) City & Guilds Botanical and landscape gardening; Open University (1999-2001) Level 5 and 6 Mental health/Child development; University of Hertfordshire (2003-05) PGDip Art Therapy; Open university (2005-06) PG Dip Art history; Bucks New University (2005-07) Diploma in Counselling (BACP); Falmouth University (2025-2027) MA Illustration/Storytelling
Solo exhibitions:
78 Derngate: the Charles Rennie Mackintosh House, Northampton ‘Handstitched stories’ (2021)
Stapleford Granary Arts Centre, Cambridge (2021); Handstitched stories, Stroud Museum in the Park (2022); Handstitched stories, Goods Shed Arts Centre, Tetbury (2023); Stapleford Granary, Cambridge (2024)
Group exhibitions:
Whitechapel Gallery, Art Pavilion (2026) ‘Dictionary’ Prism Textiles, selected artist
(Royal West of England Academy (RWA) ‘Soft power: lives told through textile art’ (2025) ‘When the boat comes in’; Good on Paper @10, (2025); Whitechapel Gallery, Art Pavilion (2024); ‘Edgelands’ Prism Textiles, selected artist
Knitting and Stitching shows, London and Harrogate (2023); SitSelect [Stroud international textiles] (2018/19/21); Queen Mary University, Being Human Festival, AHRC ( 2020); NAE competition (2019) NAE Open, ‘When the boat comes in’ selected artist; Whitechapel Gallery, Art Pavilion (2020) ‘in search of (im)possibilities’ Prism Textiles; Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, Basingstoke (2023) ‘When the boat comes in’ invited artist for Windrush exhibition;
States of Existence, Hackney, (2018) invited artist ‘Decorating the cuts’
SEAS socially engaged art salon, Brighton, (2021) ‘Windrush Presence’