Odilia Suanzes

“I was born in Madrid and graduated from City & Guilds of London Art School in 2016, where I won The Board of Trustees Prize for an Outstanding Piece of Work in the Graduated Show. Doing my first residency at the Griffin Gallery just before finishing my degree was a great opportunity and inspiration. Ever since residencies have become my base camp for my practice and artistic development. In this residencies, while traveling in different locations in the world I have indulge long periods of research into natural landscapes and cities to find a line of investigation that best encompasses my interests. I am also part of the Brocket Gallery, where I have done a number of exhibitions in London and out of London. 

Adapting art as a way of living, I tend to immerse myself in unfamiliar environments, traveling through space like a nomad searching for a new oasis to live in. At the basis of this search is the creation and expansion of a visual language that compounds both conscious and subconscious visual experience, informed by the experience of diverse and unfamiliar cultural, lingual and architectural experiences. A series of questions stem to mind during this research, what makes an art object? If intent is intrinsic to an art object, to what degree is making necessary? In the words of Joseph Beuys "every sphere of human activity, even peeling a potato can be a work of art as long as it is a conscious act," the idea being that every decision you make should be thought out and attempt to make or contribute to the formation of a work of art able to mirror the contemporary.

While intent appears to be key in generating art objects, the physical act of making remains an integral part of my practice. Mixing gathered materials, mainly from natural sources is key element of my work. The chemical reactions that occur when mixing these materials are recorded, highlighting their movements. Therefore I am interested in the dialectics that exist between art and science. Natural resources have been used as a tool for creation for thousands of years, I enjoy absorbing and obtaining the colours from rocks, plants, earth.”