Sara Maher is a mid-career visual artist based in Nipaluna (Hobart), whose practice centres on a receptive, slow relationship with the shifting resonance of her surroundings, unfolding primarily within Lutruwita (Tasmania). Her work speaks to a hidden interiority shaped by her Irish, English, and Flemish heritage, negotiating its presence across the ancient, unceded lands of Lutruwita and the wider Australian continent.
Maher's work varies widely in scale, encompassing drawing, painting, printmaking, material assemblage, and site-responsive installation. Across the spectrum of her making, her practice is an evolving space where works call and respond through time, holding the joy of earthly intimacy, creative intuition, and the existential unease of her heritage within a fluctuating tension.
Maher holds a Diploma of Fine Art from the National Art School (Gadi/Sydney) and both a Bachelor and Master of Fine Art from the University of Tasmania (Nipaluna/Hobart). Her practice is deeply informed by site-specific research and residencies throughout Lutruwita and nationally, including Lunawanna-alonnah (Bruny Island), Wulinantikala (Cradle Mountain), the Queenstown region, Leeawulena (Lake St Clair), Wukaluwikiwayna (Maria Island), and Wilyakali (Broken Hill, NSW).
Maher has established a significant presence within contemporary Australian art. She is a 2026 finalist in both the National Works on Paper Art Prize and the Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize. This follows a major year in 2025, during which she presented the solo exhibition Gravity Portal at Contemporary Art Tasmania, received an Honourable Mention in the Hadley's Art Prize, and was featured in a profile by Artist Profile magazine. Earlier milestones include winning First Prize in the Tidal.22: City of Devonport Tasmanian Art Award (2022), receiving the BRUNY20 Arts Fellowship (2020), selection for the Biennale of Australian Art (2018), and receiving the state's inaugural Shotgun initiative via Contemporary Art Tasmania and Detached (2010). Held in public and private collections, Maher's work is included within the Top 100 Collectable Artists feature of the Art Lovers Australia 2025/2026 annual publication. She is represented by Bett Gallery in Nipaluna (Hobart).