Susan Borowitz — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Biography
After a successful career writing for American television comedies, Susan Borowitz embarked on a study of the practice of photography in 2011 and discovered a new medium by which to tell stories. Classes at New York City’s International Center for Photography led to creative self-portraiture and ultimately fine art photography, specifically staged narratives, where she expresses reflections of psychological journeys. She has won several awards for images in her series Locked-In, most notably Pollux Awards, LifeFramer, One Eyeland, and Chromatic Awards, and has been the subject of several artist interviews/profiles for online and print publications. Exhibition venues include New York, Berlin and Barcelona.

Artist Statement

From the series “Locked-In”. A reference to ‘Locked In Syndrome’, this series explores the phenomenon of feeling stuck and the accompanying sense of failure to control the forces that seem to dictate our lives. Using metaphor and imagery that suggest the inability to move on, the series evokes the absence of agency and a perceived futility of each waking day. The choice to use self-portraiture reflects not only a personal journey, but also a common experience of women who feel consciously aware of what they should pursue or speak up about but feel impotent in the face of a dominant power: unequal relationships, demons residing in the subconscious, societal expectations and especially the disappearance of relevancy with encroaching age.

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

Having grown up with artist parents, I never experienced an exact moment when I decided to be an artist—being artistic was an expectation in my family and pursuing a career in the arts was never discouraged. As a born storyteller, I first entered the arts as a writer, specifically writing American television comedy, a successful career that spanned almost twenty years and gave me great satisfaction. After a move to New York and with a second child, it became difficult and much less gratifying to continue in television, so I retired and devoted my time to my kids. When my youngest was about to leave for college, he predicted a grim future for me if I didn’t have a hobby, prompting me to pick up a camera. Starting in 2011, I studied at New York City’s International Center for Photography, ultimately enrolling in a class called “Finding Your Voice” with a wonderful teacher Joyce George who encouraged me to express my personal vision through self-portraiture. This form ignited something inside me, thus an insanely expensive yet exciting hobby became a new way to tell stories—a new passion, a new career.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

Since this is a second career, I approach things differently from my first when I was extremely attuned to rising up the ranks in my profession. I try to be as much in the present as possible when producing my images and less goal-oriented so that there is more of a subconscious flow of creativity. Right now, my art and how I create it feels right—exciting, fulfilling and most importantly, fun. Expressing my thoughts and experiences of being who I am: an ageing woman in a youth-obsessed, male-dominated world, as well as interpreting what I discover in my own psyche, is exactly the sort of art I want to make. Currently, I consider myself to be a conceptual narrative fine art photographer, but I do my best to remain flexible and am willing to try whatever strikes me as a new way to express myself.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

A sense of community—a shared understanding that says “I get it! I recognize your experience.” Isn’t that what art should be about? It’s non-verbal communication that should bring a deeper understanding to your own issues, or to others. The two most satisfying responses to my work illustrate this point. “Marooned”, a photograph from my series Locked-In (which explores the feeling of being stuck in life) depicts a woman in a fancy dress, bag, hat and shoes holding onto a tree which is surrounded by water. This image was part of an exhibition by Photos de Femmes at a chateau in France. Before the opening, the owner of the chateau in her vlog highlighted some of the work being shown. She asked her mother, a chic older Frenchwoman which was her favourite and she pointed to “Marooned”.

The woman is dressed up with nowhere to go, she said, I feel like that sometimes. My heart soared—that is all I can ever hope for. The second moment actually predates the first. Several images from Locked-In were in an exhibit in Barcelona. A young man in his twenties, upon discovering that I was the artist, expressed his appreciation. He told me that while my artist’s statement focused on the experiences of older women feeling stifled, he and his friends had that same sense of inertia and my photos really spoke to him. Of course, his comments thrilled me, giving me the gift of knowing that my work had meaning to a viewer, even one who was in a demographic that I had never thought would understand. Another aspect of my work that I want to mention is the comedic edge I like to include. Art, including photographic art, can be rather high-minded and serious, but I don’t think that’s an accurate depiction of the human experience. Having been a comedy writer, humour is integral to my creative process and it can’t help but come out in what I do. Many of the photos from my earliest work were meant to be strictly comedic, but when I realized that the best images were developed from a crucible of humour and pathos, I found a style that resonated. I strive to create images that work on many levels: aesthetic, humorous, psychological, etc. What I am proud of in my series “Locked-In” is how it depicts a more layered sense of reality. Part of my process is making sure that every man or every woman can see themselves in my work.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

My creative process is not at all linear. I first have to devise an idea, usually for a series, and that cannot come by directly thinking about it. My ideas always come full-blown into my head after I have subconsciously been ruminating on a thought, a problem, or an issue. It first appears as one, two or more images in my imagination which I then describe in writing. After studying them, the theme emerges and then I’m off to the second part of my process. Once I have a theme, I need to develop the photographs that will illustrate it. I’ve found that if I let my subconscious run wild, images for my series just pop into my head. I write them down and let them sit for a while—to ferment, so to speak. When I return to them, I look at them with fresh eyes and sometimes the story isn’t clear. So, I’ll rethink it, or I’ll trash it.Next comes the physical part of the production of my staged images. I find locations, props, costumes, etc., figure out all the aspects of the photo and then decide on a shoot date/time. Sometimes I have an assistant if I can’t manage to do it all myself, but I try to make it a solitary venture, using my iPhone and the Canon app to work the camera remotely. I love working in solitude and getting lost in the process. I spend a good deal of time processing my photographs in Photoshop. Sometimes I take as many as 200+ shots just so I know I’m covered because having to return to a remote location with props and equipment is not fun. Back at my computer, I download my pictures and let them sit for several days or even weeks so I can get a fresh perspective. When I feel ready, I will “build” the image in photoshop and give it the final look that is typical of the series so that all the photos hang together as a complete work of art. If I feel that the first few photographs are worthy of a whole series, I continue the method of devising new images, and then shooting and processing them.

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

It’s difficult to select just one. Since my process is a long one, I better have several things that excite me along the way, or the final product just won’t happen. One moment that is thrilling is when I realize that a crazy image that I came up with is in fact possible—getting permission or finding a venue that suits my needs or devising a solution to a problem. POSSIBILITY is intoxicating in this process. The actual doing is also exhilarating: setting up every piece of the production, the flow of the shooting, checking, improving, shooting again. Finally, sitting down at my computer to see the results can be the thing that really makes my heart race. I often compile a “first draft” on photoshop, sloppily combining the elements that I need. Upon seeing what I’ve got and what the image could become—that may be the highlight, the most exciting part of the process. If I do this at night, I can’t sleep a wink.

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

I am still very much committed to and absorbed by my series “Locked-In.” Because of Covid, I haven’t been able to reach all the destinations that I have planned for some more images to add, but I am determined to make them happen when we’re all safe. Ironically, the lockdown has impeded the making of “Locked-In.” But I do sense that I may need to find a new project as well. There are a few that I am mulling over, one continuing in the humor/pathos vein, and one that will attempt to plumb the depths of negative psychological experiences. The big difference in that idea, is that I may have to hire actors to play the protagonists. But as I said above, I like to be flexible and ready for change.

Website https://www.susanborowitzphoto.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stuffdog2/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/susanborowitzfoto