statement
The work I do is analogous to a catabolic process - a conversion of physical material (hair) gleaned from my body into artworks. I am converting the hair that falls out of my head into drawings. These hairs are glued into sinuous patterns and simple pathways in books and on compact cards compiled into sheaves. A language of curves and subtly-raised rivers of hair-lines replaces the writing of wind or breath with more stable forms; fluidity is literally fixed into position.
In this body of work, intuitive thoughts and process-oriented constraints operate as the means to expose both tangible and intangible aspects of myself. The end products (my 'catabolites') are both abstract (insights and procedural methods) and palpable (drawings that sometime include words). Intent combines with accident. The process reveals my identity and yet is universal. My genetic code and identity are present and expose, inviting viewers to look. However, the onlooker needs to open, undo, and search the pages of the journal or folio to understand that as personal as they are with my genes and hence my character, I am still detached. Conceal and removed yet exposed and inviting.
The creative work itself is slow, methodical and repetitive; this implicit rhythm imbues the final objects with a timeless quality. These small seemingly-fragile enigmatic journals of hair-drawings mirror and explore memory as an arbitrary personal residue. They contain disclosures and revelations which ultimately resist interpretation and simultaneously awaken awareness.
contact
susansmereka AT gmail.com
resumé(s)
1: education, teaching, grants & awards, shows, installations
2: projects, lectures, group shows, collaborations, collections