The Artsy Vanguard 2019: Vivian Suter
Vivian Suter by Flavio Karrer. Courtesy of Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels, and Karma International.
In the early 1980s, painter Vivian Suter renounced the art world. Instead of hustling in major metropolises and fraternizing with dealers, she opted for a peaceful existence on the edge of a Guatemalan lake and focused on her practice. Suter arrived at a signature style: free-hanging canvases tacked to the wall or dangling from the ceiling, featuring brushy, bright, abstract designs. They suggest islands, trees, leaves, and large topographies. Her indoor and outdoor presentations envelop the viewer in soothing forms. And she’s made something of a triumphant return to the art world in recent years.
Hendrik Folkerts, who curated a solo show of Suter’s work last year at the Art Institute of Chicago, noted that the artist “elevates the medium of painting to new heights, in rigorous experimentation with abstraction, color, materiality, and modes of installation.”
Vivian Suter, Untitled, Undated. © Vivian Suter. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels.
Vivian Suter, Untitled, Undated. © Vivian Suter. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels.
Suter recently returned to commercial spaces, too. Gladstone Gallery picked up the artist and gave her a much-lauded show earlier this year; she’s also represented by Karma International, Los Angeles; Stampa Galerie, Basel; House of Gaga, Mexico City and Los Angeles; and Proyectos Ultravioleta, Guatemala City. Suter is currently featured in a major exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, and, in 2020, she’ll have a solo show at the Camden Arts Centre in London. More surprises may await. According to Folkerts, “Suter’s work is constantly evolving.”
