ARTiculAction Art Review - Special Issuue Aug. 2016 | Page 195

Suzanne Smith

ICUL CTION
C o n t e m p o r a r y

A r t

R e v i e w

Special Issue

Over these years your works have been
exhibited in several occasions, including
your recent solo Homunculus at Art Gene,
Barrow-in-Furness. One of the hallmarks of
your practice is the capability to create
direct involvement with the viewers, who
are urged to evolve from a condition of
mere spectatorship. So before leaving this
conversation we would like to pose a
question about the nature of the
relationship of your art with your audience.
Do you consider the issue of audience
reception as being a crucial component of
your decision-making process, in terms of
what type of language is used in a
particular context?

Of course I consider audience perception but
I enjoy the fact that I can never really preempt people's interpretations of my work.
When I first started making art, I had very
specific ideas about what I wanted the
viewer to get from the work and if that didn't
happen I saw it as a failure. I now embrace
that side of art-making and actually find it
much more exciting. There really are as
many interpretations as there are viewers.
Art is a space for experience and
suspension. Too many people are suspicious
of contemporary conceptual art and worry
that there is a correct interpretation, which
then means there is the possibility of failing
as a viewer if you do not get that from the
work. That's crazy. If an artist's got
something really direct they need to say to
their audience I think they'd be better off
writing a letter.
Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing
your thoughts, Suzanne. Finally, would you
like to tell us readers something about your
future projects? How do you see your work
evolving?

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