Susan Stockwell is a contemporary British artist, described as a sculptor who makes subtly political work about materials and their inherent content and histories, with injustice and inequality as overarching themes. Her work addresses political, social, ecological and feminist issues, using her trademark motifs and metaphors of maps, stacks, dresses, money, recycled computer components and other everyday materials and products.

Life and work

Born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England, Stockwell attained her MA from the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

in 1993 and a BA in fine art from

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

(1988). She had taught extensively in the United Kingdom and United States of America. According to Sylviane Gold, writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Stockwell's sculpture can be "elegant and eerie". Robert Clark of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' stated that Stockwell "misuses everyday objects and domestic materials to enchanting effect."Robert Clark
"This week's new exhibitions – Susan Stockwell, York"
''The Guardian'', 19 June 2010. Key pieces include "America", a map of the USA made from computer boards. Stockwell's work is featured in numerous books, including
''50 Women Sculptors'' 2020''The Art of Walking: a field guide'
''edited by David Evans Black Dog Publishing''
'The Seas and the Mobility of Islamic Art''
Yale University Press 2021, https://www.susanstockwell.co.uk/books?lightbox=comp-kmxgrxfa_runtime_dataItem-kmxgrxfcitems1. She has won numerous awards, including a Bursary Award from the Arts Council England,

Royal Society of British Sculptors The Royal Society of Sculptors is a British charity established in 1905 which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London. It ...

, a Taiwan-England Artists Fellowship and Travel Award from

The British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

and The Artists Information Company. She has completed numerous successful public and private commissions including works for Bedfordshire University, BlackRock Investments,

The Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, the National Army Museum and the

London Transport Museum The London Transport Museum (often abbreviated as the LTM) is a transport museum based in Covent Garden, London. The museum predominantly hosts exhibits relating to the heritage of London's transport, as well as conserving and explaining the h ...

. Examples of Stockwell's work are held in public and private art collections, including the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, London
The Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam
the Francis H. Williams Collection, Wellesley, Mass, the

Yale Centre for British Art Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the worl ...

, United States and the

House of European History The House of European History (HEH) is a history museum and cultural institution in Brussels, Belgium, focusing on the history of Europe. It is an initiative by the European Parliament, and was proposed in 2007 by the Parliament's then-presid ...

in Brussels. She has exhibited throughout Britain, as well as globally including at

TATE Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...

, London, The National Museum of China, Beijing, The Katonah Museum of Art, USA an
Manchester City Art Gallery
UK.

References

Tropenmuseum - Territory Dress

External links

Online Artwork] 1962 births Living people English artists English contemporary artists Alumni of the Royal College of Art Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University Recycled art artists {{UK-artist-stub