Susi Ernst
Born in 1953.
Over the documented period 1986–2016, Susi Ernst presents a practice that brings together figure paintings, thematic series, floral compositions and small-scale architectures — at times also realised in three dimensions — traversing motifs as diverse as women, interiors, swimming pools and overpaintings (source: personal website).
In the early years — around 1986–1992 — she paints chiefly women, princesses and female soldiers and, in parallel, conceives three-dimensional works such as bustiers, crowns and armour made of copper, wax gauze and fur.
Around 1993, series of figures emerge, described by the artist as a “dialogue” with living and invented characters.
The years around 1995 mark a retreat inward: interiors then become an explicit theme in her work.
In 1998, she expresses the intention of painting “closed spaces” which, according to her own commentary, open up in the course of the working process.
In 1999, a bouquet of tulips associated with Maria Binder in Zurich’s Oberdorf prompts her to undertake flower paintings.
In 2002, the sight of a red pool with a raised edge in Languedoc leads her to paint “uninhabited cities” conceived from swimming-pool architectures.
In material terms, her work moves between painting and object: the use of metals, waxed gauzes and furs for bustiers or crowns coexists with the making of small architectures and works pierced with openings, embodying a gesture that is both sculptural and ritual.
This notice is based on material published on the homepage identified as “Susi Ernst-Staub” and covers the documented period 1986–2016.