Su Su
Living in Pittsburgh, PA
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work depicts the tension between globalization and our environment through narrative deconstruction, spontaneity, abstraction, and surrealism. This point of view - questioning and reimagining time and space - is shaped by my personal experience of being born in China during the one-child policy. As a result, I have always kept to myself and rarely disclosed much. I found painting to be a refuge to explore my thoughts and connection to the world. Moving to the US significantly influenced my work. Navigating the subtle and significant cultural differences between these two countries inspired the evaluation of popular culture and media in my current work. My paintings analyze the politics of representation through imagined worlds that are at once familiar and surreal. I create a narrative of ambiguity by superimposing recognizable images into unconventional contexts, provoking the uncanny.
BIO
Born in Beijing, China, Susu began painting at the Central Academy of Arts & Design at the age of 12. In 2011, Susu received a full scholarship to attend graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, where she completed her MFA in 2015. In the fall of 2017, Susu was honored to receive a nomination for Pittsburgh’s Emerging Artist of the Year Award. In the summer of 2018, Susu was nominated for the Eben Demarest Trust Award and also had her solo exhibition "Between the Lines" presented at Bunker Projects. Her paintings were featured in publications such as ARTPULSE Magazine (2018) and JUXTAPOZ (2018). Currently Susu makes paintings full-time and further develops her professional studio practice.
TEACHING
Guest Artist, Painting for Theatrical Designer, Carnegie Mellon University, School of Drama, Pittsburgh, 2019
Guest Artist, Painting for Theatrical Designer, Carnegie Mellon University, School of Drama, Pittsburgh, 2018
Guest Artist, Costume Rendering, Carnegie Mellon University, School of Drama, Pittsburgh, 2017
Guest Artist, Millinery II, Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Pittsburgh, 2017
Guest Artist, Painting for Theatrical Designer, Carnegie Mellon University, School of Drama, Pittsburgh, 2016
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018 Between the Lines, Bunker Projects, Pittsburgh, PA
2018 Allure, The School House, Homestead, PA
2017 A New Way of Walking, Martin Chen gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019 Work on paper, Chautauqua Institution, NY
2019 Distilled, Pittsburgh Center for the Art, Pittsburgh, PA
2018 The End, FrameHouse & Jask Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
2018 Cultivating a Safe Place, Gallery One, Pittsburgh, PA
2018 AAP New Member Exhibition, Pittsburgh, PA
2017 Garage Studio Gallery, Sewickley, PA
2015 Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, MFA Showcase, New York City, NY
2015 Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, MFA Showcase, Los Angeles, CA
PUBLICATIONS
Hadfield, Tim. “Su Su: Recent Painting.” ARTPULSE, 2018
AWARDS
2018 Eben Demarest Trust Award Nominee
2018 Pittsburgh Emerging Artist of the Year Nominee
2011-2015 Applied Internship Scholarship, Carnegie Mellon University, School of Drama
2010 National Scholarship, China
2009 National Scholarship for Encouragement, China
2008 First Prize Scholarship, China