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Susan Hensel | Bending Toward Beauty

Steffl Gallery | December 19, 2022–March 13, 2023


“I am using thread and fiber techniques to shift light and perception through structures and forms in the real world.” – Susan Hensel


With limited color palettes and basic techniques Minnesota artist Susan Hensel creates textile sculptures and mixed media works. Spanning a wide range of sizes, Hensel investigates a variety of forms: folded embroidery, movable vessels, free-standing sculptures, and large-scale wall installations. Each piece celebrates the physics of light and encourages viewers to move through the gallery to witness colors mix, vibrate, and interact. 



Image Credit: Susan Hensel, "Chromatic Wave 4," digital embroidery, 77"x19"

Susan Hensel received her BFA from University of Michigan in 1972 with a double major in painting and sculpture and a concentration in ceramics. Hensel's artwork is known and collected nationwide, represented in collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Getty Research Institute with major holdings at Minnesota Center for Book Arts, University of Washington, Baylor University and University of Colorado at Boulder. Hensel has been awarded multiple residencies and grants through the Jerome Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, and Ragdale Foundation and lives in Minneapolis as a working artists and curator at the Susan Hensel Gallery.









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