Susan Collis at Seventeen in London

Susan Collis uses a variety of techniques and strategies to investigate issues concerning interpretation, craft, value and labour. Everyday objects are presented etched, splattered and stained with marks of work, wear and tear. At first glance, the marks seem to be the accidental results of normal use, and as such seem meaningless and not worthy of examination. Collis is interested in the shift of perception that takes place upon discovery that they are, in fact, careful, intentional acts, and that the materials used are traditionally valued for their financial or decorative properties. A tired stepladder covered with paint drips from years of use has been simulated by the meticulous inlaying of diamonds, pearls, opals and other prized materials. A bucket catching a drip from the gallery ceiling may not be the result of neglect, rather a complex staging of pumps, water-tanks and false walls to artificially create the scenario. Typically works involve momentous amounts of often hidden labour to create an object that may easily go unnoticed, but is replete with value, be it material or conceptual. Much of Collis’ work can go un-noticed and this visual gamble results in a possible conceptual pay-off that rewards concerted investigation by the viewer.

Recent solo exhibitions include When we loved you best of all at Touchstones, Rochdale; The Price of Nails at Meessen de Clercq, Brussels; Since I fell for you, Ikon, Birmingham; Twice Removed, Espacio Minimo, Madrid.

Group exhibitions include Lifelike at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, touring to New Orleans Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego and Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas; The Workers at MASS MoCA, De-building at Christchurch Art Gallery, New Zealand; La Vie Mode d’Emploi (Life a User’s Manual) at Messeen De Clerq, Brussels; MYSTICS or RATIONALISTS? at Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh; False documents and other illusions, Portland Museum of Art, Maine; Bizarre Perfection, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Apparently Invisible, The Drawing Center, NY; At Your Service, The David Roberts Foundation, London and Out of the Ordinary, The V&A Museum, London.

Venue name: Seventeen

Address: 270-276 Kingsland Rd London E8 4DG

Opening hours: Wed-Sat 11am-6pm

Transport: Haggerston Overground