Susana Rivas
I am a visual artist and photographer born in Central America. I migrated to Australia 30 years ago, and since I started my art studies I have embarked on a journey of self-discovery. My practice is diverse and multidisciplinary; I work with photography, wood burning, painting, embroidery and collage. Recently my interest is in alternative processes of image making and my relationship with materiality through sculpture and installation.
My project renders elements of personal history and cultural connection; it is a metaphorical narrative of my experience as a female migrant in Australia. Through the use of traditional materials, colours and symbols I explore the intersection of mixed identities and cultural displacement that many migrants experience when trying to assimilate into a new society. My most recent work explores themes of connection, ritual and memories.
Connection, 2020
Plaster cast and string sculpture
190mm x 304mm x 228mm
Uncertain future (From the series Net Loss), 2019
Scannerography digital print
594mm x 420mm
I'm not perfect, 2019
Wire, woof and yarn sculpture
419mm x 406mm x 152.4mm
Portrait of a Mestizo women, 2020
Manipulated digital photo
420mm x 297mm