Sarah Maple

Sarah Maple speaks on International Women’s Day at Amnesty International
Sarah Maple looked just as I thought she would - fresh face, petite figure, modern, in her early twenties and with a lot to said. A young artist, full of energy, ready to speak her mind out and not scared of what critics would think of her or her work. She has been the subject of much debate through her ground-breaking artwork, addressing controversial issues and encouraging debate amongst her audience and peers.
Speaking under the topic "Who Are We To Speak?" at Amnesty International’s ‘International Women’s Day, she made clear that the concept of freedom of expression in bureaucratic Britain is still controversial, especially when expressing your ideas through art.
Amnesty International’s office was filled with young artists and smart people for the talk of Women International Day on the evening of 11th of March down in trendy Shoreditch. I felt like an outsider since I’ve never been in a place where everyone is asking pointed questions or speaking seriously about gay and women’s rights and how these relate to freedom of expression. The audience seemed to agree with the speakers Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Sarah Maple, Jo Clifford and by the end of the talk, one person asked the panel how they felt about death threats and others threatening correspondences, and if they are ever scared by them. Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Sarah Maple, Jo Clifford all replied, with a thin smile and in unison, “No, never!” They aren’t scared to express their feelings or ideas but they are afraid that their families may fall victim of their ideals.
Sarah Maple and the others artists surely does not have a desire to upset anyone or disrupt somebody’s belief systems. Instead, one finds that Maple wants to make a difference in a society still marked clamoured by taboos and censorship.
We are in the 21st century and yet people live to be critical and selfish. But as Sarah puts it, “art is boring if we don’t do art the way we do it”.