When I Have Wings to Fly
Exhibition statement by Janice Cotter
Suzy Birstein's current exhibition speaks to tapping into your imagination and being at one with your material, your spirit, and your world. The work was informed by the life and art of Frida Kahlo, merged with intersecting influences from Birstein's personal experiences and memories of her mother's life. She views Frida as a symbol of empowerment and strength, a person who takes something that is tragic and transcends and transforms it through her notion of beauty.
Moved by Frida Kahlo's story and infamous words, "Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?" Birstein began exploring how the historical figure relates to her history by turning to art to heal her spirit. Even when Frida was constrained by physical and emotional difficulties, she found ways to reach into her creative self and soar. Motivated by these concepts, Birstein created Frida-inspired works using contemporary techniques of clay, oil, collage, and integrating personal objects.
"When I Have Wings to Fly" combines Birstein's artworks in varying times of her life to illustrate an evolving relationship between her images, materials and poetic imagination. It also a continuation of her series of clay portraiture "Ladies Not Waiting," derived from the Baroque masterpiece Las Meninas, [Ladies-In-Waiting) by Diego Velazquez.
In addition, Birstein incorporates pieces from her "Tsipora" self portrait series. Tsipora, her Hebrew name, means 'bird' or 'taking flight'. Like the Frida-inspired works, the birds in this series symbolize a freedom of spirit, but also of nesting; taking flight, but also having a place to land.
Birstein invites the viewer to converse with the intertwined stories of herself, her mother, Frida Kah lo and other historical figures to embody an appreciation of resilience, resourcefulness and beauty.
"Everything about Frida is about her art and her life as one, as an expression of creativity." Birstein says, "That, I took as a model for what my life should be."