Susan Else is a figurative sculptor working in sewn cloth---fascinated by daily life and its capacity for instant reversals. She describes what she does as “stealth art”: the comfortable ambiance of the medium draws viewers in, where they are confronted with uncomfortable paradoxes of contemporary life. The power and beauty of the collaged and quilted surface play off the narrative content, resulting in a seesaw of possible meanings.

Throughout her career, Susan has focused on the intersection of disaster and routine. Her work often incorporates bones, a powerful symbol evoking human mortality and human history. In another body of work, mechanized cloth sculptures explore contradictions in the old-fashioned circus. Her most most recent figures examine the persistence it takes to remain engaged in the world in the face of aging or disability.

Photos by Marty McGillivray