Susy Bielak
Visual Art
Chicago, IL
I am an artist, writer, educator, and curator whose projects have collaboration, experimentation and research at their core. My work examines the visible and invisible workings of daily life and the dynamics of history. Growing up Mexican American in immigrant communities in Pittsburgh at a time of its de-industrialization spurred my ongoing interest in the interplay of people and place. I use ethnography, allegory, material metaphor, empathy, and absurdity to address topics ranging from migration and displacement, to the rapport between domestic life and natural disaster. My collaborators have included choreographers, engineers, bus drivers, and rodeo cowboys.
My work has been exhibited and collected nationally and internationally, including by the International Print Center, Museo Tamayo, San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, St. Paul Mayor’s Office, and Walker Art Center. Awards include the Highpoint Jerome Fellowship, Jerome Visual Arts Fellowship, MAKER Award, and UC MEXUS Dissertation Award. My artwork and writing have been published in Art Papers, New American Paintings, and Poetry Magazine, among others. I was born in Mexico City, raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and lives in Chicago. I received my MFA from the University of California San Diego. Balas & Wax is my ongoing collaborative practice with Fred Schmalz. We are currently in residence at Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, California, with support from the Andy Warhol Foundation.
At Ragdale, I will be working on a new project considering migrations, borders, and sanctuary; drawing upon immigration policy, textiles used cross-culturally for protection, illuminated manuscripts, and the ways catastrophe has been written and rendered through history. I plan to translate this research through drawing and language across scale (e.g., from a book one holds in their hands, to drawings and text saturating a floor), work with amate (a bark paper manufactured in Mexico since 75 CE.), immerse myself in the landscape, and be open to collaboration if/as it comes.