Susan Newmark
Villa of the Mysteries, 2021
Woven paper collage and acrylic
24x18 inches
 
My recent collages combine my experience with painting, drawing and artists books with my interest in history and architecture along with an awareness of the fragility of our world. Created during the isolation of the pandemic, this series of twelve wrapped and woven collages gave form to my fears about human extinction and erasure because of physical catastrophe, political violence and rapidly spreading epidemics. I thought about Pompeii, the affluent Roman city filled with art, elaborate structures, beautiful mosaics, murals and gardens‚ and it all disappeared in moments when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. ‚The Villa of the Mysteries‚ seen in this biennial, is both simple in its white color and complex with its many linear images. My built collage environments reflect my interest in maps, floor plans, secret rooms and enclosed spaces with color, line and patterned surfaces pointing the way out.