From 1975–1982 Susanne Kessler studied painting and graphic at the Berlin University of the Arts and the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. In 2022 she was awarded the Von der Heydt Culture Prize and in 1992 she won the Paul Strecker Award of the City of Mainz.
In addition to scholarships and artist residencies more than 50 solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions have taken her throughout Europe and to India, Pakistan, MaliEthiopia, Guatemala, Iran, Latvia and the USA (Turlock, CA, Washington, DC, New York, NY, Charlottesville, VA).
2001/2002 she has served as a guest professor at the California State University – Stanislaus, USA, followed to the Latvian Academy of Arts in Riga, Latvia in 2010 and to the City University of New York, NY, USA in 2011. Susanne Kessler lives in Berlin/Germany and Rome/Italy.[1]
Work
Susanne Kessler, The universe moves, India 1995Susanne Kessler,survival kit, 2005
Susanne Kessler creates expansive, organic-like installations. Primarily based on drawing, she has been concentrating on natural, living structures for many years. Some of her work is dedicated to imagery of the internal organs like the human brain, with its visual appearance and its inner complex structure. According to Kessler, only the limitation to the brain, with individual thinking and visualizing, promotes an "ego-construction", which moves away from science and into an artistic world.[2]
Thought fragments and trains of thoughts that deal continually with biological models are often integrated by Kessler into a system of drawings, forming a complex net of overlapping patterns and poetic content.[3] In the center of her work the Wheel of Life, the principle of life,[4] is made visible as a flow of vital energy, as an ever-changing process reflecting at the same time the work process of the artist. Series of drawings are constantly involved in new installations in order to renew from within. This results include spaces of graphic signs and symbols, integrating some of the kinetic energy of the location.
These biological models have revealed themselves, for example, in organic forms cut out of Tyvek paper.[5]
Awards and scholarships
2022 Von der Heydt-Kulturpreis
2020 Scholarship Europa of the Senate of Berlin
2016–2018 Artist in Residence, Kunstmuseum der Westküste, MKdW, Alkersum/Föhr
2014 Artist in Residence, Art Students League Sparkill, NY/USA
2014 Ruth Katzman Award, New York, NY/USA
2011 Visiting Professor and Artist in Residence, City University of New York/USA
2010 Guest Lecturer and Artist in Residence, Art Academy Riga/LT
2008 International Symposium "Dialogue", Art Academy, Riga/LT
2007 Artist in Residence, Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA/USA
2005 Member of the "viewing programs, artist registry" and invitation to "Artist Talk" to "The Drawing Center New York, NYC/USA
2003 Artist in Residence, Fajr Festival, Tehran/IR
2001–2002 Visiting Professor and Artist in Residence, California State University, Stanislaus, CA/USA.[6]
1996 Max Mueller Bhavan, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai/IND
1996 Goethe-Institut Lahore/PK
1995–1996 Artist in Residence, Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi/IND
1995 Grant from the city of Goslar Kaiser Ring/GER
1992 Paul Strecker Award, Mainz/GER
1984 Scholarship from the German-French Youth Office, Paris/F
1982 DAAD Fellowship, Royal College of Art, London/UK
1993 Bonito Oliva, Achille: Gran Delubro, L’Arte. Edizione Carte Segrete, Exhibition Erice, La Salerniana, Ex Convento di San Carlo, Italy
1995 Becker, Wolfgang: The Burden of the Bunker- transforming a line of defense. In: Fredsskulptur 1995. Elle-Mie Ejdrup Hansen
1996 Matusche, Petra: Inner Energies and Outer Spaces. In: Susanne Kessler in India and Pakistan 1995–1996. Exhibition Max Mueller Bhavan, Hyderabad, Madras, Lait Kala Academi, New Delhi, India, Goethe Institut Lahore, Pakistan; Museum Abtei Liesborn. ISBN81-900739-0-7
2003 Karshenas, Majid: Love resurrects humanity. In: Susanne Kessler – Persian Diary . Exhibition Artist Forum Taleghani, 2003 Tehran, Iran. ISBN3-86611-024-3
2008 Farrington, Lisa: The Art of Dualities. In: Susanne Kessler, Drawing Space – The New York Room. Exhibition City University – John Jay Gallery, New York, NY, USA
2010 Canova, Lorenzo: La rete segreta della cose. In Ritmo e Linea. Exhibition Ex- Convento di San Giovanni, Orvieto, Italy
2010 Canova, Lorenzo. Sbandati. Mostra Ex-GIL Roma, Italy, Edizione riverberi sonori.
2011 Karin Scheel: Susanne Kessler: Baustelle Zeichnung. Galerie M, Berlin Palladino Editore, ISBN 978-88-8460-206-0
2014 Wolfgang Riehle, Raimund Stecker: Susanne Kessler: Mäander, DominoArt 2014
2015 Achille Bonito Oliva, Johannes Nathan, Vincenzo Mazarella: Susanne Kessler: Framing Space, Distanz Verlag Berlin, ISBN 978-3-95476-119-7
2018 Beniamini Quintieri, Alberto Dambruoso: Susanne Kessler: Ulysses in Cosenza, Gangemi Editore Int. Roma, ISBN 978-88-492-3614-9
2018 Ed. Boyens Verlag: Susanne Kessler: 99 Days around Cape Horn…, Museum Art of the West Coast
