"I had a migraine, don't judge how inflexible I am!"
Photography by KE Photo
About Sally Anderson
My background is mainly in performance arts, with a specialism in fire and LED. I have performed all over the UK, including many of the historic venues in my native North East England.
I studied Art and Design at college but hadn't picked up a pen in a long time, until a random photoshoot with my friend inspired me to start drawing again.
During Covid-19, I really accelerated my visual arts practice as a way to manage my wellbeing and stay creative while I couldn't perform.
From Performance Art to Visual Art
My focus at the moment is visual arts and zine making. I'm probably best known for my skate decks which are inspired by my years in adventure and extreme sports. They're all centred around this colourful, slightly creepy cartoonish world, inspired by those 90s skate artist greats like Jim Phillips.
You can read more about Sally Anderson's work on her website, or follow Sally on Instagram - @SallyLovesSharpies
Sally Anderson at the' Now That's What I Call Art 2' exhibition at Newcastle Contemporary Art, sharing a selection of California-inspired hand-painted skate decks. Photography by Chris Harrison.
Witching Hour & Zine-Making
I do a lot of project work in the community, helping groups tell their stories and find community through arts and crafts. My zine Witching Hour is all about the night time world. It's an open call, and artists include shift workers, sex workers, witches, and those whose life or arts practice finds them existing in the dark hours. It's strongly influenced by my years in the nightlife industry.
When I started Witching Hour the idea was always to ring fence funds from sales of the zine to run a live exhibition, and that's planned for December 2025, with some artists who've contributed to the zine and some new faces.
Making Marks - A Pop-Up Exhibition of Sex Worker Art
In late 2025, I started my journey into curation and production, starting with running an exhibition of sex worker art in collaboration with the National Ugly Mugs charity and Vagina Museum in London. I was able to give a platform to artists who'd never exhibited before.
This exhibition is part of National Ugly Mugs Vocational Support Services, where current and former sex workers can access career support. Exhibiting artists were offered advice on careers in the arts and culture sector, and given access to a shared exhibition which I managed and curated, which allowed them to engage in creative development.
Marking Marks - A Pop-Up Exhibition of Sex Worker Art. The collection above includes work by Diana Rotten @DianaRotten_ and Emily Stevens - @EJS Creates
Sally's 'Pothos' mural on the wall of Wonky Community in Hendon, a co-working and workshop space. Inspired by Sally's love of botanicals and nature.
Murals
As Sally's artistic career continues to evolve, Sally plans to continue developing her practice into more murals, such as the one "overleaf", if you pardon the pun.
"When I received this commission, it felt like a reckoning. As a woman, I was able to give myself permission to take up space, and it felt quite empowering to be working on a piece this big."
Sally's first full-wall mural has ignited a passion for larger-scale work that allows Sally to explore how her work can scale up, and experiment with what can work in other settings.
