Susan Bee is a painter, collagist, editor, and book artist who focuses on the cinematic, ephemeral moments of everyday life. Using old and offbeat movies as a visual resource, Bee plays upon the changing nature of cultural memory as well as the evolving connection between word and image.

As seen on this page, Detour (2011) and Gun Crazy (2011) capture two fashionably dressed couples navigating a questionable narrative that is both cut and framed by the painting itself. Bee replaces flat colors, in lieu of other details, that either pattern or foreshorten the background. One of her most recent paintings appears above, titled Votes for Women (2018) that is 30” x 40 and consists of oil, enamel, and sand on linen.

The artist’s aesthetic focus on the representation and performance of interpersonal relationships also takes the form of intricate collage pieces. The application of cutouts within fictitious painted landscapes renders a series of surrealist, dreamy experiences as colors clash together, as seen through a kaleidoscope, before resonating in a visual harmony.

Bee has recently published a series in an artist’s book titled Fabulas Feminae, a collaboration with Johanna Drucker. Susan Bee’s art may be seen at the legendary A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn. All of her work may also be viewed at this link in addition to Accola Griefen Gallery.