Susan Leopold

The buildings depicted in my work are abandoned structures, though still magnificent in their decrepitude. I strive to capture the poetry of decay found in once proud buildings slowly being reclaimed by time and acknowledge how nostalgia is innately imbedded in these structures. The locations I shoot range from an abandoned swimming complex in Cuba, to a condemned amphitheater along the East River in NYC. The fractured panoramas evoke the past use of the buildings and remind us of how human interaction gives life to architecture, though people rarely appear in these pieces. Rather, the distorted views only suggest a history, allowing viewers to create their own narratives.

Reflections and light are inherent qualities in these pieces as mirrors, projections and transparencies are key components in the constructions. When seen from a single position the pieces appear static, but the viewer’s movement makes the sculpture come alive. The shift that occurs between reflections of photographs and the actual surrounding environment is a comment on the thin boundary that exists between the conscious and subconscious realms of the human psyche. Photographs and mirrors are key components in the work. The visually illusive nature of the material used in these sculptures addresses the fluidity of perception and how an individual’s experience of a place is preserved as a memory.

Susan Leopold was born in Chicago, Illinois. She lives and works in New York City. She holds a Masters Degree from the Interactive Telecommunication Program in the Tisch School of Arts, New York University, and a BFA from The School of Visual Arts, New York City. Recent exhibitions include: The Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY; The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art, Portland, ME; MassMOCA Kidspace, North Adams, MA, to name a few. Leopold is a recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship, New York Foundations for the Arts, and commissioned by The Metropolitan Transit Authority-Arts for Transit NYC. Collections include The Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Deutsche Bank, Biblioteca National Centrale, Firenze. Leopold’s work was been featured on the cover of Art Forum, and has been written about in the New Yorker, The New York Times, Art in America, Sculpture Magazine. Leopold is represented by Elizabeth Harris Gallery, NYC, NY.