SUSANNA DE ANGELIS GARDEL

Susanna De Angelis Gardel was born in Rome. She lives and works in Lugano.   

Her artistic journey began as a deeply personal exploration, following her academic studies in the Humanities and a Degree in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures. In 2006, she chose to fully embrace art—a natural progression of an inner dialogue that had been unfolding for many years. For her, art is a form of introspective research, a space for personal inquiry unburdened by external expectations or constraints.

She initially immersed herself in painting, experimenting with various techniques, particularly in the figurative realm. Her preference for oil painting emerged early on, captivated by its tactile softness and luminous potential. In her first works, she portrayed moments of everyday life, translating visual impressions gathered during her extensive travels into evocative, narrative images.

Her debut series, Creatures (2011), draws inspiration from the majestic animals of the African savannah—a visual manifestation of what she describes as a “mal d’Africa,” imprinted on large, white canvases. This fascination with the untamed wilderness later evolved into Creatures 2 (2015), where her focus shifted from nature to humanity. The series presents anonymous figures painted on the reverse side of the canvas, representing “invisible” individuals from the streets—people often overlooked or reduced to fleeting glances. Through her art, Susanna restores their presence and identity, imbuing them with dignity and emotional resonance.

Her artistic journey took a transformative turn in 2017, as she moved from the two-dimensionality of painting to the spatial language of sculpture. This evolution marked a pivotal moment in her practice, allowing her to bring invisible concepts into tangible form by shaping bronze—a material that, for her, embodies permanence and vitality.

Her first major sculptural project, “Karékla: A Chair for the Soul” (2019), delves into the intangible realm of thoughts and emotions. Through a series of bronze chairs, she gives physical presence to the inner dialogue that shapes our consciousness—often turbulent, laden with fears, prejudices, hopes, and stories, many of which remain unconscious. The chair, a recurring symbol in her work, evokes a sense of pause and reflection—a space for the mind to quiet and rest. The tension between “full” and “empty” chairs symbolizes thoughts brimming with unresolved energy versus those that have dissipated into calm and clarity.

Susanna’s sculptures are imbued with a timeless and universal quality. The anonymous, expressionless faces and absence of temporal markers reflect the shared human experience, transcending individual stories to explore the most profound and intimate aspects of our existence. Through her work, she seeks to illuminate the invisible forces that shape our inner lives, offering a contemplative space where the viewer is invited to pause, reflect, and reconnect with their own sense of being.