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T H E B R A I N P R O J E C T 2 0 2 0
A transplanted Montrealer, Susan Avishai has a
BFA from Concordia, a MA from Hollins U, (VA)
and studied at the Académie Julien in Paris. She
has mounted 16 solo shows, won prizes in national
and international juried exhibitions, and has work
in several large corporate collections. She was
elected to the Ontario Society for Artists in 2015.
Her work has appeared in Fiber Art Now, featured
in Textile Fiber Forum, and Dimensional Cloth (Stanton). She has completed
residencies in Latvia and Mexico, and was part of the 12 Trees exhibit at the
Gardiner Museum.
Plaques & Tangles
Susan Avishai
Artist Statement
This piece was created through the ancient Korean technique of paper
felting, called Joomchi. Avishai used Hanji paper, which can be manipulated
only with water. When working with Hanji paper, the long fibres begin
to break down, fuse and form holes and strings. The process takes time
and constant manipulation and in the end, the artist is never sure she is
in complete control. This unusual medium, in both its method and its result,
dovetail with how Avishai imagines the slow and destructive progression
of dementia.
