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 and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England, August 1962, Stockwell attained her MA from the

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

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 station, Sheffield railway station, whil ...

(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'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

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

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' 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 (RSS) 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 in South Kensington, Lo ...

, 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 lang ...

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 opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Strat ...

, the

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bod ...

and the

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

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

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

, London
The Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam
the Francis H. Williams Collection, Wellesley, Mass, the Yale Centre for British Art, 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 recent history of Europe. It is an initiative by the European Parliament, and was proposed in 2007 by the Parliament's then ...

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

TATE Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery in London, housing the United Kingdom's national collection of international Modern art, modern and contemporary art (created from or after 1900). It forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Live ...

, 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