MALMO.- Vivian Suter’s painting is characterised by a physical and spontaneous process in which nature is both inspiration and collaborator. Traces of leaves, sticks and rain water merge with the semi-abstract motifs in tones ranging from muted to bright.
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In the exhibition “I Am Godzilla”, Suter’s work takes over the Turbine Hall in a free, non-hierarchical way. The paintings are hung on walls, suspended from the ceiling and strewn on the floor. The boundaries of the canvas do not exist. Neither is it always clear whether a painting should be displayed vertically or horizontally – the space and context determine. With few exceptions, Suter’s works are untitled and undated, which emphasises the feeling of continually ongoing transformation.
“An exhibition of Vivian Suter’s paintings is an extension of the place where she lives and works – an abstracted reflection of her surroundings”, says the exhibition’s curator Andreas Nilsson. He continues, “Time and place merge. Her work is private and personal, but never overly exposing. The importance of place for her practice and her well-being emerges with great clarity. Through her work, Suter generously lets us catch a glimpse of her world and invites us to partake in it.”
Two events in recent years have been especially important for Suter’s artistic development – hurricanes Stan (2005) and Agatha (2010). They caused massive flooding, in which many people died or disappeared. Suter’s house and studio were also affected, and her paintings were covered in clay and water. After some deliberation she decided to keep the works as they were, with the effects of nature as an integrated part of the artistic process. She often lets her stretched canvases dry outside – on the veranda, lying in the garden or hung between two trees – where they are exposed to rain, sun and wind. In this way, nature becomes a part of the work, both as motif and material. Oils and acrylics are mixed with earth, botanical matter and jungle-based microorganisms, creating landscape paintings in both the literal and conceptual sense of the term.
Vivian Suter was born in Buenos Aires in 1949. Both exiled Europeans, her mother, Elisabeth Wild, was an artist and her father owned a textile printing company in Buenos Aires. When Suter was twelve, the family moved to Basel, Switzerland, where she later studied painting. In 1982, shortly after her first large group exhibition at Kunsthalle Basel, she travelled to Latin America and settled in Panajachel, Guatemala, near Lake Atitlán, the following year.
Vivian Suter has previously exhibited at institutions such as Vienna Secession, Kunstmuseum Basel, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, as well as documenta 14 in Athens and Kassel.
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