FEATURED IMAGE: Two of Susana Sanromán’s works. Used with permission.
– ROBAIRD O’CEARBHAILL
Hong Kong Correspondent
London-based, prize winning artist Susana Sanromán has glittered at fairs at the Louvre Museum in Paris, 2015, the 2018 Venice Bienalle. A Spaniard who has had prestigious artist residences in six countries, and in three continents, as well as multiple exhibitions in 12 nations – all in a ten-year visual artist career! Where does that drive and success come from? She spoke to O Clarim during her recent exhibition in Hong Kong and later from London, after her opening her next exhibition NordArt Fair in Germany, showing the personal qualities that mark high achievers and the role the Church has played in her life.
“I see myself as a very passionate person, creating is essential in my life, at the core. Hardwork, focus, tenacity and ability to adapt. I love challenges.” Sanromán also says she is “always looking for growth and developing myself as an artist and person, and I am curious by nature,” and last but not least, her Catholic schooling. “I have grown up in a family of Catholic tradition, I believe that my values come in part from the education of my parents.” She believes that the Church influenced her “personal formation” and plays a role in her professional life too.
“I guess that directly or indirectly this has had a weight on my personal formation and consequently this has an effect on the issues that I deal with in my work.”
Reflecting more too on what drives the Galician Sanromán and her values and aims, first among which is helping society, “follow its rules” and be “respectful and tolerant to and others.” But in that sense I am a more private person.” She underlined also a high priority. “To be be recognized is more than fame and money.” Sanromán summarizes her role among people is “Live and let live.” However she added, ironically, that she is “not aiming for the Nobel Prize” but wants to “contribute with my art to bringing awareness to environmental, social issues.” And several of her projects are doing, or did just that.
Sanroman’s current exhibition in NordArt Fair Germany until October “Present Imperfect, Future Tense” depicts sea pollution during the 2017 Bali volcano eruption damage. She set up a mix of citizen models to be placed underwater water in a mix of furniture fishing nets and mostly plastics. One striking image is of a suited businessman entangled in the undersea debris he has caused. In another underwater shot, a farmer or fisherman is sitting on a floating chair. Also a green project criticizing excess consumer consumption was the earlier The Things We Leave Behind portraying huge waste mounds for recycling, or to be disposed of, contrasted by a mummy made of waste. Mummies have been used in many of her works because they represent decayed humans in decayed environments. Sanroman’s website explains that “an aspect of human remains, like the landscape depicted, evokes concepts such as death, waste, neglect, degradation and ultimate transformation.” And transformation in the positive environmental sense is what she is aiming at in her works.
“I believe that art is a very effective means of expressing and transmitting ideas. Sometimes we forget that before the word entered our lives, as babies we learn initially from visual and sound stimuli, and those are what first form us.” She added that “at the beginning of our lives we emulate gestures and everything we see, and the more we grow this visual analysis becomes more automatic; but just as the word is interpreted and analyzed, the visual information also comes to us, but in a more unconscious way.” And she believes that we still use images powerfully as humans did before learning to speak, more powerfully than words.
“I believe that the visual image is more immediate, (than words) and can create more impact. I am of the opinion that art can contribute greatly to environmental awareness.”
And visual images and a non-concentrated state are where her art works ideas begin in her mind.
“My projects always come from my imagination. The seed arises in those moments of disconnection after work when you ride a bus and you evade leaving the mind blank, that’s when the inspiration arises.”
“It may begin as an abstract and illusive idea, but as it germinates it gradually takes shape; the process is vital, when you put it in motion, the idea grows, reaffirm,” adding that “in many occasions it can take new paths, and that is the magic of creating, you know where you start but not where you end up.”
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