Susana Reisman

Susana Reisman’s individual portraits of cuts of processed wood form part of a larger body of recent work in which she examines our relationship to this humble, but essential, material. The pieces of wood are now distantly removed from their original state, having entered into the world and lexicon of the builder. However, by isolating the planks against neutral backgrounds, Reisman returns them to the realm of art, referencing movements like Minimalism, Conceptualism and Arte Povera, as well as the gestures of sculptors like John McCracken, whose fibreglass and plastic slabs have a similar quiet power. Although there is no overt environmental message underlying Reisman’s photographs, the images do evoke anxious feelings when we unavoidably start thinking about logging practices and our unrelenting demand for diminishing natural resources.

Toronto-based Susana Reisman was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She received her MFA in photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2005. Since that time, Reisman has exhibited her photographs in museums and galleries throughout North America, including Gallery 44 in Toronto, Plug-In ICA in Winnipeg, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago. After teaching photography for several years, Reisman now dedicates her time to her work, as well as running Circuit Gallery in Toronto, which specialises in the production of limited editions of contemporary photographic, digital and print-based work.