When I lived in my home country my cultural awareness was not predominant. It was here in Europe, I realised my understanding of my historical roots is fundamental to my identity. This new need to determine who I am challenges my artistic practice. It responds to the European stereotype of the "other". And it links with the almost ignored Andean diaspora to strengthen my personal identity weakened by this multicultural society, wandering if different rituals of indigenous belief can portray this new being.
The way Europeans perceive non-Europeans is the starting point that led me to an extended phase of representation that includes memory, body and clothing. The repression and the political ideology portrayed in the Ecuadorian indigenous women's garment contributes in a fundamental way to the development of the final and critical point of this representation. I depict the physical substance of the female body as a sense of textile in a style from a particular historical period. I use primary and complementary colours as a cultural possession of resistance to stereotypes. I also highlight the "contempt" for these colours that exists here in Europe, which more than often depicts life in greys, browns and blacks.
I begin my work describing the experience that really shocked me. And then, I decide what technique and materials support critical and emotional portrayal of this experience. I especially look for materials that have the potential for a bold and aesthetic impact. I make geometric compositions with freedom of forms in which colour has the power. The careful balance of harmony and dissonance highlights the central point of the work, the feminine presence.
I am originally from Ecuador. I travelled to London to get a BA and MA in fine arts at The University of Art of London, Central Saint Martin in 2018. It is where I now live and work. I have won awards including a commission from Clifford Chance for their London head office; XIX Prize of Ceramics of the Council of Agriculture, Fishing and Feeding of Madrid; and XI Salón de Abril of the Riobamba Cultural Centre. My work has been exhibited in different countries including the United Kingdom, Belgium, Chile, Spain and Ecuador.
Clifford Chanc/University of the Arts London Sculpture Award 2019 - Susana Uvidia
Clifford Chance Sculpture Prize Winner 2019, Susana Uvidia
Neo Norte | Colectiva | Fundacion Cultural de Providencia, Santiago | 10/08 - 1/09
Muestra colectiva propone una nueva dirección para el arte latinoamericano
Latin American Myth Deconstruction
Defying what it means to be a Latin American creative in London through art
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