Playful new exhibition by Susie Losch

Susie Losch is an artist that knows how to play.

She admits that a lot of her experiments don’t work out. ‘Some of it is just junk. But then some of them are really beautiful and interesting. It just compels me to make more, to continue experimenting.’

In this new exhibition, Susie let go of all constraints. ‘In previous exhibitions I’ve always stuck to a theme or tried to link the work together in some way. This time, I threw the doors open and just decided to play, to fully embrace the process and not worry about the results. I now have a lot more faith in play as a method of working, it’s an ok way to make art’.

Susie works from her home studio in the Kiewa Valley, an old converted dairy farm. Her studio is filled with curiosities and objects collected for future inspiration, together with materials and experiments created along the way in developing her current exhibition, New Old Stock.

The objects in New Old Stock have been plaster cast in moulds as diverse as fruit husks hollowed out by chickens, voids in polystyrene packaging, baking trays and kitchen rolls. Found glassware and an array of handles, springs, taps, and timber collide with the handcrafted objects to create a playful and materially rich experience.

Susie’s art practice is firmly tied to the earth and is driven by a personal philosophy about how to live. Her commitment to sustainability, living from her garden, recycling and avoiding waste underpins her practice. ‘I’m always looking at the beauty and usefulness of things. I see the possibilities in shape and form and the vibrant colours. Some things arise spontaneously, like rotting fruit or chicken-pecked watermelon husks, some things exist in the negative space of objects. Once you start looking there is endless possibility. This is the sense of experimentation and discovery that I love.’

Susie Losch: New Old Stock opened on Thursday 2 May,