Susan Krause- Artist / Educator

THE LINEAGE SERIES  2005-PRESENT

This ongoing work explores and reinforces that we all have a sharable story which is often visible on the body through choices, hardship, work and experiences endured. I consider the work a form of portraiture and my role just a facilitator. 

  Presently I have embarking on a long term project dealing with skin prosthetics.  This project is a culmination of many different issues and experiences all of which come together related to identity. As an artist I am often fascinated by aspects of a topic, phenomenon or life experience and am challenged by the process of transforming these aspects into a visual language. The subjects are women over 40 from Canada, the US and Latin America who consent to share their life experiences, decisions and thoughts that can be read and worn by an audience. Each anatomical region is selected solely by the subject and has a DNA imprint and identification tattoo outlining age, experience and knowledge conveyed.

 While an art student I held two distinct occupations, one as a surgical instrument technician at a hospital where I was fascinated by and had the opportunity to observe procedures such as plastic surgery. The other, a commission sales position for a major department store where I observed the power of marketing consumption in the quest for promised beauty. From these somewhat ordinary occupations many years earlier I have found substantial resources for this project. Adding to this, my father was diagnosed with a rare, progressively disfiguring and terminal skin disease. Over the years of his illness I was able to see the reaction to the changes in his appearance by the general public and his resilience in overcoming predetermined judgments regarding his disfigurement. Conversely, all who knew him could see through his superficial appearance to an extraordinary human being by observing his abilities, interactions, compassion and courage. 

   I am committed to examining what is inherently authentic about humanity and questions surrounding beauty in contrast to the popular desire to alter ones physical appearance as seen in current trends.  I am fascinated by the overwhelming desire we have as a society to change our bodies to become less authentic, to resemble what society defines as beautiful rather than acknowledging the aesthetics of what is a visual record of a life. The choice to use natural decomposing materials such as latex rubber and leather is to illustrate and mimic an aging process and to have materials themselves document time.