Artist Highlight: Susan Kim Alvarez
Image: Courtesy of the artist.
Meet Summer Open alumnus Susan Kim Alvarez, a multimedia artist whose practice explores the fantastical chaos of her innermost world. Drawing from the folk stories of her Cuban and Vietnamese heritage, Susan’s artwork integrates the characters and mythological motifs introduced to her through traditional storytelling and experiences of cultural celebration. Through painting and mixed media sculpture, Susan is able to create new mythologies and imaginaries, particular to the joys and discomforts inherent in her own experiences of tradition.
Susan is currently participating in NSU Art Museum’s Future Past Pacific, which features her solo exhibition Oogly Boogly, on view now through October 15th. Oogly Boogly marks her first ever museum exhibition, a project that began when NSU Director and Chief Curator Bonnie Clearwater stopped by Bakehouse to visit last year’s Summer Open artists and had the opportunity to meet Susan.
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Can you tell us about your artistic practice?
Being raised Cuban, Vietnamese, and Jewish has ingrained in me all the values of their celebrations and forms of ornamentation. The holidays I celebrated with my family as a child were spaces of joy and love, cemented by the labor poured into crafting their environments. The Lion Dance during the Lunar New Year, in particular, stuck with me as proof that the world is full of fantastical creatures and events, all of which deeply influenced my craft.
My crafting process serves as a form of meditation, connecting me with the cultural events I experienced as a child and, in turn, creating new mythologies through their conglomeration. I use painting and mixed media sculpture as bearers of my cultures and imagination, giving rise to wondrous landscapes and gatherings. Each piece I create is abstracted and enriched by religious and cultural motifs, interwoven with the sense of humor inherent to traditional storytelling. My scenes reference small gatherings, large processions, and the joys and discomforts of each.
Tell us about a personal artistic project or body of work that you are currently excited about.
Currently, I’m working on a series of paintings that I began developing this past summer at a residency in Skowhegan. The series centers feminine figures and relationships within surreal landscapes. Despite having been away from home, beginning this series brought a deeper sense of appreciation for myself and for my foundation in Florida. I'm very excited to see how the series will grow as it develops.
Tell us about how you have developed as an artist since you began working at Bakehouse.
Bakehouse was a major reason I was able to continue my practice after my undergraduate education. I came home back to Florida after having finished my studies and was quickly embraced by the artist community. The Summer Open Program, in particular, introduced me to incredible opportunities and to people that have opened a huge dialogue for the development of my work. Being connected to Bakehouse has expanded my work both physically and metaphorically, allowing me to explore concepts I had been toying with but never had the space to explore.