About Susan Snipes
Artist’s Statement
Video calls, smartphone interactions, and virtual communications fill my life. These technologies intended to connect often leave me feeling isolated and disembodied. My work emerges from a longing for embodied connection.
Inspired by artists like Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, whose work incorporates biological rhythms from participants, and Marina Abramovic, who made breathwork a part of her performative practice, my work combines mindfulness, technology, and interactivity to create a shared, embodied experience between viewers separated by physical distance.
My most recent work draws on phenomenology, where I emphasize the body’s role in our engagement with the world. By sending and receiving live bodily rhythms between participants, my work links the fundamental similarities between people and fosters moments of shared presence. Through feedback loops of interconnectedness, I hope viewers cultivate mindfulness and recognize their innate similarities with others no matter their physical distance.
Artist Bio
Susan Snipes is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of connection and the fluid boundaries between self and others. Her immersive media environments probe affective shared experiences, emphasizing the interconnectedness between humans, other living beings, and the natural world.
Critically engaging with the impact of digital capitalism and technology on contemporary life, Susan’s work addresses the anxieties and disconnection that often characterize the digital age. Through a practice that spans various mediums and frequently involves interactivity, she creates spaces for reflection and dialogue, inviting audiences to explore their own roles within an interconnected modern existence where the lines between virtual and physical experiences blur.
Critically engaging with the impact of digital capitalism and technology on contemporary life, Susan’s work addresses the anxieties and disconnection that often characterize the digital age. Through a practice that spans various mediums and frequently involves interactivity, she creates spaces for reflection and dialogue, inviting audiences to explore their own roles within an interconnected modern existence where the lines between virtual and physical experiences blur.
An active member of her arts community, Susan founded NEO Art Opportunities, a platform designed to connect artists in the Northeast Ohio region with grants, exhibitions, and other opportunities. Additionally, she established UNDERSTORY, a contemporary art space in Cleveland that showcases emerging artists, particularly those working in conceptual and digital realms.
Currently pursuing an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, Susan holds a B.A. in Art History from Case Western Reserve University. Her work is held in private collections across the United States and has been showcased in numerous exhibitions nationwide. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Susan now resides in Cleveland.
Currently pursuing an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, Susan holds a B.A. in Art History from Case Western Reserve University. Her work is held in private collections across the United States and has been showcased in numerous exhibitions nationwide. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Susan now resides in Cleveland.
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Exhibitions
2024
Mirrored Perspectives: The Art of Reflection, UNDERSTORY, Cleveland, Ohio
79th Annual May Show, Mansfield Art Center, Mansfield, Ohio
May Show, The Gallery at Lakeland, Kirtland, Ohio
Winter Studio Space, Susquehanna College, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
79th Annual May Show, Mansfield Art Center, Mansfield, Ohio
May Show, The Gallery at Lakeland, Kirtland, Ohio
Winter Studio Space, Susquehanna College, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
2023
Heal the Man, Heal the Land, Earthkeepers Handbook, curated by Kim Abeles and WhiteFeather Hunter
Winter Exhibition, The Ark, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, Vermont
Winter Exhibition, The Ark, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, Vermont
2022
CAN Triennial, “YOU ARE HERE”, The Sculpture Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Member Exhibition, Artist Archives of the Western Reserve, Cleveland, Ohio
Member Exhibition, Artist Archives of the Western Reserve, Cleveland, Ohio
2021
Primal Disposition, Vestige Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Potential Energy (SOLO EXHIBITION), Suite 215 Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
May Show, The Gallery at Lakeland, Kirtland, Ohio
48th Hoyt Regional Juried Exhibition, Hoyt Art Center, New Castle, Pennsylvania - MERIT AWARD
Celestial Bodies, Adrian Center for the Arts, Adrian, Michigan - HONORABLE MENTION
BAYarts Annual Juried Exhibition 2021, Sullivan Gallery, Bay Village, Ohio
Art in Isolation, Ashtabula Arts Center, Ashtabula, Ohio - HONORABLE MENTION
Potential Energy (SOLO EXHIBITION), Suite 215 Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
May Show, The Gallery at Lakeland, Kirtland, Ohio
48th Hoyt Regional Juried Exhibition, Hoyt Art Center, New Castle, Pennsylvania - MERIT AWARD
Celestial Bodies, Adrian Center for the Arts, Adrian, Michigan - HONORABLE MENTION
BAYarts Annual Juried Exhibition 2021, Sullivan Gallery, Bay Village, Ohio
Art in Isolation, Ashtabula Arts Center, Ashtabula, Ohio - HONORABLE MENTION
2020
49th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Margaret “Peg” Bowen Gallery, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Great Northern Art Explosion, AuSable Artisan Village, Grayling, Michigan
Art from the Shutdown, YARDS Projects, Cleveland, Ohio
Great Northern Art Explosion, AuSable Artisan Village, Grayling, Michigan
Art from the Shutdown, YARDS Projects, Cleveland, Ohio