Suzanne Torres (b.1982, New Jersey) received her MA, MFA with a concentration in sculpture and ceramics from The University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015 and was a Post-Baccalaureate student in sculpture at the San Francisco Art Institute. She participated in additional studies at the Studio Arts Center International in Florence, Italy and the Metáfora International Workshop in Barcelona, Spain as a yearlong resident. Torres attended the Vermont Studio Center on a full fellowship and participated in the Open Studio Residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Most recently she was a Center Program participant at the Hyde Park Art Center. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally.
Suzanne Torres
Statement
My work borrows elements from our physical and natural surroundings and reinterprets them through scale and abstraction. It brings to mind natural phenomenon, unearthed relics, built environments, and the act of transformation. I create large-scale sculpture and installation that have an evocative presence - suspended from the ceiling, traversing wall and floor, or enveloping the viewer – they appear to exist in a realm of time somewhere between birth and collapse, both degrading and emerging before our eyes.
Constructed from common materials such as clay, fiber, wood, and steel, my work responds to natural and manmade landscapes, breeding both familiarity and instability. Often exceeding human scale, the work has a physical presence that translates as a spatial experience- it elicits an emotive response from the viewer and explores the body’s interaction with space.
Channeling opposing forces of structure and collapse, my work exists in a state of flux, conjuring notions of transformation and evolution. In utilizing unfired clay there exists a tension between solidity and fragility. The potential for breakdown and ultimate recycling of much of my work signifies its temporal existence.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.
Our galleries are open Tuesday through Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday noon to 5pm, and other programs take place throughout the week. Please check the events calendar and education section for details.