Writer Jordan Clary interviews Suzanne Kanatsiz

April 2007

Suzanne Kanatsiz is a conceptual and environmental artist who works in the medium of sculpture and installation. She uses diverse materials, often mixing organic and machine made elements. Her work makes references to cycles, memory and human subjectivity and the intention of her work is to create a quiet, contemplative atmosphere. Concentric rings, circles, and spheres are prominent in her work and are often combined with text, transparency and detailed ornamentation.

I first met Suzanne Kanatsiz in 1996 when we were both teaching inmates at California State Prisons through the William James Arts-in-Corrections program. We realized we both shared a love of deserts, petroglyphs, desolate landscapes and ancient art and poetry. When I began graduate school at the University of Nevada, she was working as an art professor at the university.

Eventually, she moved to Utah where she is currently teaching at Weber University in Ogden and I moved to China. Nevertheless, our paths have continued to cross over the years. We recently caught up by telephone and conducted this interview.

Jordan: Where are you from and where have you traveled?

Suzanne: I was born in Detroit, Michigan and grew up San Diego. I also went to college in California. I have traveled extensively in Europe, Turkey (the Asian side). Also Australia, Canada, Mexico, North Africa, Scotland ... and in May, Thailand. I'm also going to Korea for eight months in the fall through a Fulbright.

Jordan: How has your traveling influenced your art?

Suzanne: Travel activates what lays dormant; it is an engine for my inner drive. You begin by making connections regionally. Then when you transfer that to a global experience it makes those connections so much more rich and complex. Travel is not so much about new experiences as it is awakening connections that I've already had or thought about. For example, when I was in Turkey and saw architecture from the Byzantine era it completely related to my own aesthetic. So I was able to make a connection to art history and to realize that the issues I address in my work have already been addressed 2000 years ago. It's not like I'm doing something new with my art. It's that I feel part of something that's already been going on.

Different landscapes also reflect my inner landscape. I love the desert because it cleans you out.

Jordan: A lot of your art seems to be inspired by tribal societies. What is it about that that you try to convey with your work?

Suzanne: Indigenous peoples had a highly sophisticated relationship to the arts and its transformative powers. I am interested in imbuing that power in my work. I like the ancient feel of a dry desert. For instance, the Australian aborigines are the oldest society on the planet and they have these highly evolved powers from wandering around the desert for 40000 years or so.

I've felt that in the American southwest as well. That landscape is powerful. There's something about that expansiveness that makes you feel in the presence of something that is hard to explain or define.

Jordan: What are your earliest memories of art? When did you begin to consider yourself an artist?

Suzanne: As soon as I could use my hands to touch materials in the physical world, I had an intense desire to create ... to transform materials into my visions. It was an immediate passion.

Jordan: What kind of sacrifices have you made in order to travel and in order to live a creative life?

Suzanne: I have joyfully sacrificed working an 8-5 job and the rewards that come with that ... in other words, stability. I have exchanged money for time in many parts of my life. Lately the money has been growing exponentially in relationship to my art, which I find very satisfying. I believe that will continue.

Jordan: How has your work progressed? What are some of the different types of mediums you've worked in?

Suzanne: My work is always changing. It is fluid. I was a painter, then I worked with space, experimental sculpture, earthworks. I am interested in the ephemeral and random materials; i.e., wax graphite, salt, soil, fuse, blood etc. I'm currently working in all mediums. Wall relief pieces. Installations. And drawings.

Jordan: Lately you've been working with blood-can you talk about that?

Suzanne: Genetic materials have traditionally been used in the arts. I like using a material so deeply personal that comes from inside the body. Blood is mysteriously manufactured by the body and has a direct reference to pain, and the transformative properties of experiencing great pain. Blood is also related to cycles of the body, gestation and birth.

Jordan: How do you balance being a mother with being an artist? How has having a child changed the way you approach your art?

Suzanne: I feel deeply satisfied being a mother. I feel deeply satisfied when I am creating as an artist. The two go hand in hand. Children are great teachers, especially one's own.

Jordan: Do you have a favorite time of day or night that you work? When are you at your best?

Suzanne: Morning through mid-afternoon is best for working. Evenings are best for wine, reflection and interaction.

Jordan: What artists have influenced you?

Suzanne: James Turrell, Robert Irwin, video artist Bill Viola, Aboriginal artists in Australia, Native North American arts, particularly from the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni tribes, Gerhard Richter, Anish Kapoor, Magdalena Abakanowicz, architect Zaha Hadid, and filmmaker Shirin Neshat.

Jordan: Do you enjoy teaching? Do you feel it adds to or detracts from your own work?

Suzanne: I enjoy assisting people in realizing their full potential. I like bringing art back into the equation of people's lives. The educational system in the U.S. subtracts that now. At this point, I am ready to break with teaching. I have been doing it for over 20 years. New teachers coming up behind me can take it over. As a mature artist, I want to go forward more intensely with my own work.

Jordan: Where do you see yourself going? Where would you most like to live?

Suzanne: I see myself traveling the world, particularly Asia, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, Africa, India. I am into the Southwest of the U.S. and the ocean. I see myself splitting my time between those two places. As an artist, I see myself entering my prime working years and being very productive in the next decade.

Jordan: Of all the places you've been is there one that stands out in your mind?

Suzanne: Istanbul and Monument Valley in Arizona

Jordan: What is your favorite color?

Suzanne: Right now? Green.

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